Page 12 of Family Secrets

Chapter Five

The perfume of the brightly colored flowers surrounding the mahogany casket intensified the headache brought on by the endless number of tears Elizabeth had shed in the last few days. Her decision to take her last remaining relative off life support came after Rose reminded her the shell of a human lying in the bed wasn’t her grandmother, not since the stroke took away her ability to breathe on her own. With the flick of a pen, Dr. Griffin twisted several buttons on the machine, the monitors on the wall growing silent as Beatrice Eugenia Smith’s heart stopped beating.

“You did the right thing, Lizzie,” Rose spoke gently into her ear as she wrapped a loving arm around her. “Birdie would have hated every second of lying in that bed unable to see the robins in the yard.”

Reaching up, Elizabeth squeezed Rose’s hand, sharing with her a watery smile as the priest began the service. She knew Rose was right, her granny adored birds, could name every single one who took advantage of the dozens of feeders in the yard. She was at peace now, at least that’s what Elizabeth told herself as the line of mourners began to form beside her granny’s coffin. Mr. Parker from across the street begged to be one of the pallbearers, despite his advanced age. Several boys from the high school football team volunteered as well, giving a helping hand to the sweet old man who shed more than a few tears at the loss of his dearest friend. Elizabeth suspected they were more than friends due to the intensity of the arguments they had. It was all speculation, of course, that is until she watched Mr. Parker kiss the tips of his fingers and place them lovingly to her grandmother’s lips before they closed the coffin.

It didn’t escape Elizabeth’s attention how Jonah and Karen were absent. Mr. Cullison closed the Co-op so everyone could attend the funeral. He’d given Elizabeth strict instructions not to come back until she was ready, he assured her the job was going nowhere, adding it was high time Karen learned what it was to earn a living.

Emotion built up in Elizabeth’s chest as the attendants began lowering the coffin into the ground. The realization of how alone she was in the world bloomed into a fog so thick it threatened to choke her. A clearing throat pulled her attention, temporarily batting away the blackness threatening to swallow her whole.

“My apologies, Ms. Smith.” A tall man with salt and pepper hair stood beside her, his black coat, heavy and expertly tailored. “I know this is a difficult time, but I need to have a quick word with you.” His thick accent stood out, reminding her of the main character in a popular boxing movie from the eighties.

Turning in the gentleman’s direction, “I’m sorry, were you a friend of my grandmother’s?”

Elizabeth knew the answer before the question left her lips. There were no secrets between her grandmother and herself, they were a highly functioning team who had one another’s backs.

“A friend…?” The man paused, the end of his lip curling up in a half-smile revealing teeth too perfect to be natural. “No, and not for a lack of trying. Your grandmother and I had several conversations, she wanted you protected in the event,” he nodded to the partially lowered coffin. “Something like this happened.”

Where his physical appearance shouted middle-age, his voice and mannerisms spoke of youth, causing the hair on the back of Elizabeth’s neck to stand up. “I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t catch your name.”

The man took a step back, reaching into the pocket of his slacks. “Forgive me,” he shook his head, lowering his face in what Elizabeth assumed was embarrassment. “Your grandmother spoke of how beautiful you are, but I assumed her perception to be through the eyes of a biased loved one.”

Extending his hand toward her, his tanned skin a striking contrast to the stark white of his pressed cuffs. “Benjamin Evans,” he began, holding a professional-looking business card between his manicured fingers. Elizabeth took the offered card, the gold embossed lettering reflected in the bright rays of the sun.

Evans and Associates, we’re there when you can’t be.

“I don’t understand…” Elizabeth trailed off. She’d never heard of the company or had any dealings with insurance outside of the basic policy she kept on the Chevy she drove.

“Several years ago, Beatrice contacted our office, explaining to my father she wanted to purchase a life insurance policy but didn’t trust companies around the area. With his failing health at the time, he sent the majority of new clients to me. As I said earlier, she and I spoke several times and I was able to get her a policy that worked for her.”

Pulling his jacket open, Benjamin reached inside retrieving the envelope he’d placed there before leaving his hotel room. “She asked I deliver it in person upon her death and be here to explain it is real. She mentioned a time or two of your skepticism.”

Elizabeth took the elongated white envelope, treading cautiously as if handling a poisonous reptile. “She’s right, I am skeptical. Which begs the question, how did you know of her death so quickly?”

Benjamin crossed his hands in front of him, something his father taught him to do when things became tense. “Beatrice signed a consent giving my office the ability to inquire as to any visits with the hospital or ambulance transports. One of the benefits of modern technology is a program which connects to many hospitals across the country. Lucky for us, Grady Memorial is one of those who participates.”

Unable to look inside the envelope, Elizabeth folded it in half, tucking it into the palm of her hand. She would deal with this, much like everything else to this point, alone and behind closed doors. “Thank you, Mr. Evans. I’m sure you’ve gone above and beyond for my granny.”

“She was a sweet lady. I only wished I’d listened to her when she invited me to come for a visit to meet you.”

* * *

Elizabeth wonderedif she would ever become accustomed to the deafening silence roaring in the house. If she would be able to look out the windows at the spring flowers and not think of all the time her granny spent planting in the fall, keeping the variety to herself as the ultimate element of surprise.

Tossing herself onto the sofa, she reached under the edge, retrieving her laptop. It’d been days since she’d checked in with her online friends, ignoring the alerts on her cellphone when they sounded from her purse. She’d been hiding from the world, allowing herself to fall apart behind closed doors and away from the judgmental eyes of her neighbors.

Rose told her of the wagging tongues she’d heard at the supermarket, speculating on who the man in the suit was and what he wanted with her. The envelope he’d given her rested in the center of the table beside the handful of condolence cards and the get-well flower arrangement Lisa sent the day prior. Elizabeth needed to thank her, let her know of her granny’s death and how much she appreciated the gesture.

Opening the lid of her computer, Elizabeth moved her curser to the messenger button, typing out a thank you with the sad news of her granny’s death. With the late hour, Elizabeth felt assured Lisa would see it in the morning. However, as she moved to close the computer and try and get some sleep, the ringing of her video chat program startled her, nearly sending the computer to the floor.

Elizabeth’s internet was nothing compared to the hospital, and as she waited for the program to connect, she mentally calculated what time it was in New Jersey. Before her tired mind could come up with an answer, Lisa’s beautiful face appeared on the screen.

“Hey, sweetie. How is your Nona?”

Elizabeth smiledat her friend’s accent, the deepness of it so much different than her midwest one. She’d learned several words in Italian from Lisa when she dropped a few words out of habit Elizabeth suspected, including the word for granny.

“I should have called you earlier, but with everything you have with work…” Elizabeth faded off, the emptiness once again crashing in on her.

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