My aunt is not dead.

I just thought I'd make that clear from the get go. But, see, yesterday I opened a card that my Aunt and Uncle (who'd been unable to attend the wedding) sent to me & G. When opened, the back of the card was facing forward, and my Aunt had clearly started writing inside the card, but continued onto the back. It read "dead. I hear there is no cure. Love, Aunt N & Uncle B." WHAT?!?!!

I've seen a lot of death. My mother, my brother, all of my grandparents. And I've been told every way possible--by the officer who came to our house in the middle of the night, by the doctor who explained that ending life support was merely coming to terms with the inevitable, by an expected phone call that signaled the end of a long suffering. But never by greeting card. It freaked me the h*ll out! Especially since the reason that my Aunt and Uncle were unable to make it is that my Aunt is very ill and unable to travel at all.

And then I opened the card. Inside was the response card from the wedding invitation and written inside the card was "We are sorry this has taken so long to get to you but Uncle B & I are brain (and then on the outside) dead. I hear there is no cure."

Ooooooooh! =)