“Happy Birthday, Olivia,” Diane bellowed as her sister joined their cozy table in a delightfully bespoke Italian restaurant on Brandywine"s west side. “You left so early this morning I couldn"t give you my card.” Diane, two years younger than Olivia, grasped the edge of the table to balance her aging frame as she stood and presented a gift to her sibling. Her wobbly, liver-spotted hands dropped the card into Olivia"s, then she moaned loudly, “Don"t neglect me now, body!” Years of arduous work, a failed marriage, and an unfulfilled desire to have children had imprinted permanent worry lines on every inch of her round face.
“You shouldn"t have,” replied Olivia, her thin lips curling in amusement on her patrician countenance. After hugging Diane and offloading her coat to the hostess, she se
