The INHERITANCE

Everyone adored Auntie Pat - and her legacy was one of love

Can we go round to Auntie Pat's?' That was the question my sister Helen, brother James and I were always asking my mother.

Auntie Pat wasn't really our aunt. She was a neighbour who lived two doors down, and she was someone special.

'Please can we get out the Big Box?' we would ask when we arrived at her house.

The Big Box contained absolutely everything - clothes to dress up in, games to play and things from the past packed with mystery. And Auntie Pat's rambling old house was just the place to play in.

Being older than my sister and brother, I'd spend more time with the grown-ups and I would catch scraps of information about Auntie Pat.

'Don't think she's got Ca any relatives.'

'She hasn't ever been married, has she?' 'Her parents left her the place.

'It must be worth a pretty penny, don't you think?" But I wasn't really interested in what they had to say about Auntie Pat. We loved her and that was all that mattered.

As the years went by, Auntie Pat got less able to join us on the floor with our activities. Her hair became greyer and her hips Ewider, but she was still warm and fun to be with. She never really changed, but we did.