Page 25 of The Side Road
‘Natural causes?’
‘She ate a lot of the pork surprise. There was talk.’ Tash nibbled her fingernail.
‘Okay, tonight we eat out. Tomorrow, we’re going back to the supermarket. You know my speciality, steak and salad. Sausages and salad. Grilled chicken and salad.’
‘I don’t eat root vegetables anymore.’
‘Because?’
‘They’re the root part of the plant. It’s what animals eat. Yuck.’ Tash shivered.
‘What about carrots? You like carrots.’
‘I don’tmindcarrots. What am I going to read at Nan’s funeral?’
‘I have a few ideas.’
Back in the kitchen, Oliver pulled up a page on his laptop and swung it around to face Tash. ‘My favourite is “Roads Go Ever On”, by Tolkien. The man who wroteTheLord of the Rings.’
‘What’s it about?’
‘Life’s a journey and then we die.’
Tash shook her head. ‘Nan would want something religious.’
‘Okay, there’s one called “God’s Garden”. But a few lines don’t ring true. I’m not sure they’re appropriate for Elsie.’ He opened a new document on the computer. ‘It says, “God always takes the best…and it broke our hearts to lose her.”’
Tash stared at her father.
Oliver smiled. ‘No?’
‘Sometimes I can’t believe you.’
‘I’d like to point out that what your nan did was illegal and also immoral. For a church person, she liked to bend the rules.’
‘She loved me.’
‘I know. You could read Psalm 23. The Psalm of David. It starts with, “The Lord is my shepherd”. I think Elsie would like it.’
‘Okay, I’ll read the psalm.’
They ate dinner at the King Street pub. The bistro was family friendly. Oliver ordered the seafood pasta because it was a meal he could never make himself. Tash ordered a chicken parmigiana, which came with vegetables. She ate all her fries, and the cheese and ham topping off her chicken. The vegetables she left untouched. Over dinner, they played two rounds of gin rummy. At the end of the meal, the results were even.
When they arrived home, Tash disappeared into her room to learn the psalm. Oliver opened his laptop on the kitchen table. After an hour of researching, he ordered a new bed, an outdoor setting for the front veranda, and a desk for Tash. Next, he watched a short video on hand-washing wool. He headed straight for the laundry and followed the advice. He left the mohair gloves to dry in the shade.
8
FUNERAL
‘How do I look?’Tash asked her father.
For Elsie’s funeral, Tash had chosen a long denim skirt and a black roll-neck jumper. With both arms by her sides, her head high and her fists clenched, she looked like a soldier waiting for military inspection.
Oliver smiled. ‘You look great.’
‘Have you seen my hair?’ Tash swivelled her head. A blue braid wound its way through her thick tresses. ‘I watched a video.’
‘It’s lovely,’ he confirmed. He licked his thumb and wiped a non-existent mark off her forehead.
