A Series of Bungee Cords: Part One

by Fiona Landers

I was afraid of the body. For two reasons. Maybe three. Was he dead or just almost out of breaths? If I was leaning over stroking his face, he could pop his eyes open and become Mutant Zombie Dad, sitting up gasping for one…

A Series of Bungee Cords: Part Five

by Fiona Landers

Hospice is great. It’s GREAT. And Lily had the hookup with a wonderful hospice service because she had been VOLUNTEERING with them because she is a BETTER person than I am. She and my mom (also better than me) would visit…

A Series of Bungee Cords: Part Three

by Fiona Landers

I just got the fifth installment of my bereavement mailing (yaaaaay). A bereavement mailing is a monthly letter of support (cool kids call it a “grief sheet”) you receive in the mail, from the hospice program your loved one…

A Series of Bungee Cords: Part Ten

by Fiona and Lily Landers

It’s snowing in Utica. We’re in coats and sneakers. We bought the coats at the mall by Lily’s house before we left. We didn’t tell the saleswoman why we were going to New York. We said, “To visit our grandparents.”…

A Series of Bungee Cords: Part Seven

by Fiona Landers

I can’t decide whether or not death gives the dying the ultimate privacy or no privacy at all. I think it’s both. You get to have some eternal secrets that your family gets to try to figure out. Like, for example, my dad…

A Series of Bungee Cords: Part Two

by Lily Landers

Each morning I came down the stairs prepared to find him. I was very worried about the details. Would his eyes be open and staring at something terrifying? Would there be a weird smell? What about the whole poop situation? If I…

A Series of Bungee Cords: Part Six

By Lily Landers

It was Wednesday afternoon and the nurses and visitors were gone for the day. Dad had enjoyed his last sponge bath and massage. He’d said, “Ciao!” to a handful of his closest friends, kissed them on their foreheads and called…

A Series of Bungee Cords: Part Four

by Lily Landers

He didn’t die on Tuesday. But he did have a bloody nose and blood in the back of his throat. We thought it might have been because he was dried out from the oxygen tank, so we asked him if he wanted to gargle with some…

A Series of Bungee Cords: Part Nine

by Fiona and Lily Landers

Top Ten Funny Things We Remember About Dad Today on his Birthday:

1. Dad always had old cars and the only insurance he paid for was Antique Auto Insurance which basically only covered…

A Series of Bungee Cords: Part Eight

by Lily Landers

I am in 4th grade in Mrs. Brown’s classroom. My dad is there and I am so happy. I introduce him to everyone. Then he disappears and I find out he is dead and everyone thinks I am crazy.