I remember ChiChi
The way she shuffled out of the back bedroom in her satin nightgown, boobs hanging to her knees and she'd always need to scratch her belly and blow out lots of air with this high pitched wooing sound. Her eyes were squinty but then there's that smile like she loves us even though we dragged out all the blankets and all the doll houses, books, board games, movies and barbies. And Wonnie's on her way down the hall with our order of Dr. Pepper with the huge crescent ice cubes and that stew pot of popcorn. All the butter and salt soaked in on the very best pieces.
And after our bath we would sleep with ChiChi in her king bed with the mauve round pillows. we would all squeeze in and right before bed time Wonnie brought apples with the skin peeled all cut up like little moons and we would eat them and it didn't matter that we'd already brushed our teeth. mom would have made us brush again, but not here in the big bed next to ChiChi, who smelled like thick hydrangeas even at bedtime.
