“I just got here,” I fibbed.

“I bet you’re starved. We can stop and grab a bite. I took the rest of the day off.” She lifted my suitcase and we hurried into her vintage Beetle.

I couldn’t help but stare at my aunt, who had traded her waitress outfit for a real estate one, as we buckled in.

“Surprised to see me in a suit?” she asked, obviously reading my thoughts.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you without sandals and a flower in your hair,” I teased.

“I figured it was time to get a real job,” she confessed. “I didn’t bother telling your father. I haven’t been working that long and I’ve already taken a half day.” She laughed. “So who knows how much longer it will last.”

She started the car and the engine putt-putted as she motored through the historic downtown area.

Aunt Libby was such an independent spirit, I felt disappointed and sad that she was giving up her dream. I didn’t want her to change, nor did I ever want to change. I wondered, if Aunt Libby had to give up her passions, would I have to, too?

“Have you given up acting?” I asked.

“No, it’s in my blood,” she said. “In fact, I’m doing a one-woman show. You can take the girl out of acting but not the acting out of the girl.”

I felt relieved. “A one-woman show…That’s great. Soon enough you’ll have your own Oscar.”

Aunt Libby chuckled, then turned serious. Raindrops pelted the windshield and the rustic wipers struggled to clear them as we headed toward her apartment.

Something felt strange as I gazed out the window. An eerie shadow blanketed the town as we drove through it. I thought I saw a few bats hovering over a church.

“Wow…Those look like…”

“Bats?”

“Yes.”

“There was a nest of them in one of the houses we have on the market. You would have loved it!”