Jo and Dad

My sister Jo lives in India. (She also hula hoops). She hopped on the the earliest flight that she could upon hearing that my mother was rapidly failing. She had JUST left America 6 weeks earlier! She has been here since June 21st and is staying until July 22nd. She has been by my dad's side constantly. She takes him out for dinner to cute little Federal Hill (Italian section of Providence, RI) bistros. She walks to noon Mass with him. She just sits and chats. She is his favorite, and no one is mad about it. It has always been obvious. It is, however, obvious WHY she is his favorite. She has endless patience with his telling and retelling of stories. I am not that good. I don't know anyone who is, except her.

My dad has stories that can be quite interesting, but my word! Sometimes I hear the same one 4 or 5 times a day! Seriously. He tells them like he has never told them before. Jo listens like she has never heard them before. I have been known to snap,"oh Dad, is this the one where the Mormons stayed at the Fall River YMCA? Yeah, you've told me this one" I am awful. She is not.