THE TRAFFIC ON Eighty-third Street was heavy. Carrie paid the cabdriver at the corner and walked to her mother's apartment building. It had taken eight months to sell Rose's co-op, but it had finally happened. The new owners would take possession of the keys that afternoon, and by the end of the week they'd probably be changing the locks. Carrie had come over to check on the old place one last time. “I want to make sure I didn't leave anything when I cleaned up,” she'd told Zoe.

“You're going to say good-bye,” Zoe said.

“Thank you, Oprah,” Carrie said.

The climb up to the apartment—according to the real estate agent the five flights of stairs had been a deal breaker for at least three prospective buyers—didn't seem to take as long as it used to. Zoe would say it was because Carrie was doing it for the last time. She opened the door and went in.

After she'd cleared the apartment out, Carrie had vacuumed the place and scrubbed everything until it gleamed; now she wandered through the empty rooms admiring her handiwork. In the kitchen she stopped in front of the spot where Rose's famous refrigerator had stood. The new owners said they were going to toss it, so Carrie had had it hauled off to the homeless shelter. It was the right place for it. She sat on the windowsill and closed her eyes.

So, this is it, Mother, she thought. I'm not sure you'd like the new owners, but I got top dollar for this place and all of it is going to the Rose Manning House. That's what Father Xavier is calling the shelter now. I know you said you didn't want that—to have your name on it—but I persuaded him. And as soon as people heard about it, the money started pouring in. You're still the best fund-raiser they've got. The shelter is going to need every dime, because they're building a garden and a playground for the kids on the roof.

I've done some other things you might not like, but I have to play it my way now. Bobby's trust will continue to support the Rose Manning House. I don't know if it's what he would have wanted. I don't know if it's what you would want. But I'd like to think it would make you both happy.