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Priscilla heard the sounds of Marc Broussard's My God playing on the stereo as soon as she turned into the driveway. Gram must be playing the Rock for Life CD again she thought. Gram loves that song; she could listen to it all day. In fact, some days she does listen to it over and over again.

Gram's memory was getting a little worse each day. She probably didn't even realize she'd just played it. As Priscilla started unloading the grocery bags from the trunk, she prayed silently that Gram would retain some shred of memory long enough to talk to Gary when he got back from Iraq. He'd been gone for nine months and his mother had been doing well when he left, but started going down hill in the last few months. If only Gary could be home for Thanksgiving! If only he could have one more Thanksgiving with Gram before she faded into the cruel darkness of Alzheimer's.

Priscilla yelled into the house for one of the kids to come out and help her. Selective deafness had apparently set in because no one came. Gram saw her as she pushed the door open with her foot and ran over to grab a bag just as it was about to fall. Priscilla couldn't help being thankful that at least Gram's reflexes were still good.

Priscilla put the groceries away with Gram helping as much as she could. She remembered back to when she and Gary first got married. They didn't have much money and struggled to make ends meet. Gram was the only one of Gary's relatives to welcome her into the family. Gram loved her from the very beginning. Interracial marriages were still frowned on by a lot of people back then and having Gram on their side helped them get through the early years. It cemented their relationship and when Gram started showing signs of early Alzheimer's, Priscilla had insisted on having her live with them.

Her family wasn't any happier at first with Gary's white face than Gary's family was with her dark skin. When Rosa Jane was born they named her after both mothers. It brought the families together. That was twenty-one years ago and Rosa was married now and living in Atlanta. She wished her family didn't live so far away, but she'd see them at Christmas; a phone call would have to do for now. Priscilla and Gary had moved to Jacksonville from New Orleans when the kids were little. They moved Gary's mother in with them six months ago.

Priscilla put the frozen turkey in the refrigerator, hoping it would thaw enough that she wouldn't have to soak it. She suggested that Gram change the CD and listen

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