“Is that you, Jem Finch? You got your sister with you,” Jessie was saying. I could hear her from my bed. Goodness gracious, I need it.
No, I can’t. I must last. I must get over this.
“So you brought that dirty little sister of yours, did you?”
Jem exclaimed, “My sister ain’t dirty and I ain’t scared of you.”
I was ninety-somethin’ years. I was too tired and old to get into this again. I just got over it. “You may commence reading, Jeremy.” There’s only 20 minutes. I can get through this. I will get through this.
Occasionally Jeremy would skip a word, but I caught him for it and made him spell it out. This helped me get through the reading session, listenin’ for mistakes and fixing them. Eventually I couldn’t hang on anymore, so I sunk down …show more content…
When I came to, I was in terrible condition and all I could hear was Jessie shooin’ the children out and next thing I knew, I was given morphine and it helped me relax. I hold high hopes that Jeremy and Jean Louise don’t ever have to go through what I go through.
I wonder what I could give Jem as a token of appreciation for everything he’s done for me. It don’t matter that he destroyed my flower garden, so long as he helps me get over this damn morphine addiction. The reading went on for over a month or so. These sessions were gettin’ increasin’ly longer, and each day the resistance was getting easier and easier. One day, I remember, Atticus came over to see how I was doing. I still didn’t think that he should be defendin’ Tom Robinson, but I appreciated that he came over to check up on me. “Exactly fourteen minutes past five. The alarm clock’s set for five-thirty. I want you to know that,” I told Atticus with a hearty smile on my face. “I have a feeling that Jem’s reading days are numbered,” he …show more content…
I had been gettin’ better and better, so Jeremy’s reading was getting longer and longer. In just a couple short days, I’d be home free. I will have attained my life goal ever since I was addicted. All with the help of Jeremy Finch, or Jem as some liked to call ‘im. I’d have to find some way to thank him for all he’s done…maybe I’ll give him one of the teared-up camellias so that he could look back upon these reading sessions as a reminder of our time together.
I’ve been growin’ quite fond of the boy. The little rascal, Jean Louise, not so much. But it don’t matter. All that does matter is the fact that I accomplished my goal for getting over my morphine addiction. I believe now that I can die in peace. It was in my final hours as Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose that I decided to change my will. I got Atticus to come over and we got all the preparations done. I ain’t sure if I mentioned it or not to him or not, but I started to feel a bit drowsy. I stayed strong, though. I needed to get through the changing of the will. I had to add Jeremy Finch on to there. At that moment, I knew how I would thank him. In my last few minutes on this earth, I changed my will so that it said that I would give Jeremy one single white Snow-on-the-Mountain.
I drifted to sleep, and I faded into