“I found this at Dad’s house a few days ago and saved it for you.” She reaches into her purse and pulls out a palm-sized black book.

“Do they really?” I ask, wondering if my father might die while we’re all sitting outside, talking about how public toilets smell. “And the women’s smell like vomit,” Amy says. “Men’s bathrooms always smell like shit.” I guess this solves the problem, but I like having a separate women’s room.” She crushes her cigarette. “There’s not enough in the budget to build them, so most likely the few bathrooms that already exist will wind up being labeled as unisex. “Now people are calling for gender-neutral toilets in the city parks,” Gretchen is saying. “What did you say when they told you that?” I ask. Gretchen talks about work a lot, but I’m always happy to hear it. “Did I tell you we’re not allowed to say native plants at work any more?” she asks.Ī horticulturist for the city of Raleigh, North Carolina, she’s the only one in the family with a real job, meaning a boss she has to report to and innumerable, pointless meetings that eat up her valuable time. You go out yourself and find them all gathered in the open-air courtyard, seated in rocking chairs, Gretchen lighting a cigarette. Then Hugh leaves the room, followed by Paul. After 20 or so minutes your sister Gretchen steps outside. Better to save it for an aide, you tell yourself. The oxygen tube slips, and though you think of readjusting it, you don’t, because, well, it has snot on it. You look at the hands as they occasionally stir, doing some imaginary last-minute busywork. So you become solemn and silently sit, watching the chest unsteadily rise and fall.

And in an odd way, it was sort of beautiful. We were all there, you imagine yourself saying to friends. You always think that if you gather round and really concentrate, the person on the bed will let go. Parents Lou and Sharon Sedaris with (from left) Paul, Lisa, Amy, David and Gretchen.

Happy go lucky david sedaris summary