NOT QUITE DONE YET:

I change as a result of managing Emily’s estate. For one thing, I pay closer attention to what I keep in the drawer of my bedside table. I call my mother and tell her that if she has anything in her house she doesn’t want me to see, to get rid of it now. Lasting impressions are made in what you leave behind. I do not want anyone lifting up a corner of the carpet of my life and finding all the dirty bits I never took the time to resolve. Finish business. Clear the decks. We are all on the same path. (Atkinson, 2012)

This final chapter tells the reader what the author has learned – not only about the execution of an estate, but about her friends Emily and Rob, and especially about herself. Managing Emily’s estate was a life altering experience.