"What about your other grandmother?" say I.
"Leonora Van Coevorden. She was a real piece of work. She had all the grace and charm of a Victorian schoolmistress running a residential boarding school for indigenous children."
"She couldn't have been that bad?" says Sarah
"She was also that good", says Carl. "We never saw a lot of her. She was a history professor at the University of Amsterdam, and also helped begin the groundwork for what eventually became the International Court of Justice. No one really liked her, she seemed to have an opinion about everything and no one seemed able to meet her lofty standards. Then she died from a stroke. That would have been during my parents' divorce. I can't say anyone was really sad to see her go. Least of all dad."
Tommy and Carry are both bringing around slices of pie, which we have all agreed on for dessert, even if it does seem a bit incongruous after eating Chinese food.
"Your turn, Jen. Now tell us all about your Nana", says Carl.
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