The thing about getting your dead sister's mail...

The thing about getting your dead sister's mail is fighting the urge to call her and say, "Hey, I just got this junk mail addressed to you in my mailbox. Weird, right?"

But I remember that I probably wouldn't call but would text instead, out of fear that if I did call, she would answer drunk. Years of experience with her alcoholism and mental illness taught me that calling anytime after 5pm during the week and anytime on the weekends was bad news.

There's the junk mail from Fresno Co. Health Department reminding her to get vaccinated. Then there's the package of forms that need to get filled out for her daughter to get whatever retirement she saved up. Oh yes, her daughter. My niece. Should I sign her up for summer school? What do I tell her when she says things like she thinks her mom dying was her fault? What do I do to help her process the fact that the last exchange she had with her mom was an argument? I mean, what the fuck? How are people supposed to process this sort of thing?!