When his father dies, a middle-aged man, along with his siblings, helps his mother organize her affairs. Because she is irresponsible with money, her husband has handled their finances. There is a good sum of money left for her, now that he’s died. As she ages, at first, she is cared for by her neighbors, but when she’s diagnosed with leukemia, she decides, along with her children, to hire an at-home caretaker, who will be with her 24/7, save Sundays. She grows close to this caretaker, an African woman who likes her back, telling the woman’s children, “I will care for your Mommy’s soul, even as I care for her body.” She gives the woman “back rubs,” “scalp massages,” “pedicures,” and “bubble baths.” The aging woman likes to “pok[e] her head into Aida’s palm, like a purring kitten.” The woman asks her children to let the caretaker live in the house rent-free after she dies, for as long as it takes for her to find another job. The middle-aged son is resistant to this idea. When the woman dies, the caretaker helps organize the memorial. She wants to sing a hymn the woman liked, but the woman's children say no. When they come to the house for the memorial, the caretaker’s family members have moved in. When the caretaker’s daughter asks the woman’s son who he is, he says, “I’m Martin,” and “I used to live here.” At the memorial, the caretaker and her family begin to sing a hymn. The son accidentally disrupts their song by opening a singing card his mother had given to a neighbor. The caretaker’s family laughs and then begins to sing again.