CHAPTER 30After the “escapade” with Ilana (which was the way Aunt Frieda referred to the night when his money had disappeared), Hubert's relationship with his aunt turned distinctly formal. There never had been much depth to their conversations, but they'd shared a cordial understanding, perhaps. Now, with the ghost of Ilana still sitting in the kitchen at the maple table, Hubert could barely raise a smile on his aunt's face. He tried to humor her and asked questions about Toni and her goat, but to no avail. Her answers were curt and to the point.
The most exciting change in his condition was marked by the arrival of the electric-powered wheelchair to replace his clumsy manual contraption. Since the village was laid out on hilly grounds (there was barely a road that was flat), he had been
