"Aunt Sen, aunt Sen, aunt Sen." Alix called the name over and over in a loud hurried voice as she darted into the kitchen at the back of the bistro, filled with excitement to see a woman that had been so kind to her in the past.
She located the elder woman sleeping on a mat on the floor in the corner of the small kitchen. Alix came to as stop as aunt Sen woke up.
She was surprised when she took in her condition. Aunt Sen had aged considerably, she looked older and thinner. Her appearance was rather dowdy, haggard and sickly. Compared to the former plump, jovial woman, the one in her presence was almost a stranger.
"Aunt Sen!" she cried out. "What happened?"
Slowly, the elder woman got up and forced herself to smile for Alix.
"Little Xi, you are back." she croaked out.
Alix nodded. 'Aunt Sen, what happened to you?" She approached her and squatted down. "Why do you look like this? Are you sick?"
