Closing Chapter

Bella gets the call early in the morning: Its her sister Cicely, telling her that Mama has died.

Mama had been confined to the Edgewood Nursing Home, and Bella had visited her every few months even though theyd almost always end up fighting.

Throughout Mamas time at the nursing home, Bellas sisters and brothers didnt visit Mama much. Some of them were just thirty minutes away but only saw her once a year.

In this memoir, Bella looks back with regret at Mamas last days in the nursing home as well as the relationship they had growing up. She also offers a sad thought: If one can care for six, how is it six cannot care for one?

She also explores the relationship Mama had with her own mother. They were the best of friends, and she thinks one of the reasons Mama fell ill is because of her own mothers death.

Bravely opening up old wounds, Bella seeks to break a cycle of family dysfunction to achieve something better for future generations in Closing Chapter.