Aunt Olive made her appearances at the little red house in the mornings when Joan dropped her off on her way to work. At first, Barbara was furious at having someone invade her home, but Therese explained that Aunt Olive had nowhere else to go and that it would only be temporary. It was a favor she could not deny a dear friend. Slowly, Barbara’s objections began to fade and Therese watched confidently as her plan fell into place.

Aunt Olive was so tiny, she easily fit onto the couch beside Barbara. She made herself useful by offering to hold whatever snack Barbara was consuming in a bowl on her lap. She didn’t talk or eat much, but Therese quickly discovered what it was about her that Joan found so displeasing. Her laugh started up high in her nose and then continued like a siren wailing throughout every corner of the house. She started packing wads of cotton into her pockets so she could stuff them into her ears whenever Aunt Olive was around.

Even more annoying than the laugh was her unmitigated talent at leaving drinking glasses wherever she went. Therese would find them on the sink top in the bathroom or displayed in an odd artistic arrangement on the windowsill. Each would have three sips left of whatever it was that struck Aunt Olive’s fancy at the moment, and they propagated around the house like rabbits. Therese started buying red plastic cups because she got tired of watching Tim wash dishes. They were everywhere and reminded her of overturned Santa’s hats. At the end of the day, she swept them into a bag that she took out to the trash. She pressed the bag down hard, listening to the crunch of the plastic, reminding herself that each filled garbage can brought her that much closer to her goal. She stuffed cotton into her ears and plastic cups into the trashcan and then she waited for the moment to present itself.

Her patience was wearing thin and soon she wondered if the time would ever come when she could make her move. In the meantime, it was Matilda who was enjoying herself the most. She loved playing with Aunt Olive’s plastic cups. She stacked them into tall towers, which she then kicked down with her foot. Each time they toppled onto the floor, the sound would echo throughout the house. One day Therese became so angry, she could no longer contain her irritation. Her words shot out in small, perfectly timed explosions.

“Stop it right now. Just stop. Do you hear me?”