<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal>Taking ordinary lives and dissecting their ironies, injustices, and pleasures, this collection possesses a humane eye and wry sense of humor. A young woman working as a maid in a hospital helps an elderly patient defy doctor’s orders; a jilted lover manages to misinterpret her ex’s new life; and a son accompanies his mother on a journey to scatter his father’s remains, while lifelong resentments simmer in the background. This poignant compilation of short stories finds the beauty and tragedy in illness and mortality, life and love.