Aunts and Nieces

She was an Aunt now. Not just any Aunt, but an Aunt with a refined sense of personhood about her: accomplished, informed, and able to comment at length on many topics. The real world is a scary place for young nieces, and as an Aunt she was ‘at the ready’ should a needful moment arise.

Advice is not a thing to be taken lightly. Married, she could speak to marriage; graduated, she could speak to education. Her repertoire included choosing friends, music, movies, politics, books, and even religious doctrine. Whatever a niece might need to talk about, she could talk about it.

“AND THAT’S NOT ALL! I’ve talked to realtors, landlords, college professors, administrators, pastors, and business people,” she exclaimed.

Tears welled in her niece’s eyes.

“Oh, dear! What have I done?”

She swept her up into a gentle hug.

“Conversation is so important. It’s the essence of dialogue. Discussion lies at the very heart of communication. Girls are like that. We simply need to talk.”

After a moment of sitting in silence her niece finally spoke.

“I like quiet better.”