Page 42 of Cordelia Manor
I rushed to help with the crowd, but occasionally I looked over to find Mr. Hallock looking in my direction. There was sadness in his expression, and I guessed it was for not having known me, or not having much time left to get to know me.
He’d cared about my grandmother, that I could tell, and I had to wonder since he grew up with her, if maybe he hadn’t thought of her as a sibling.
I knew from the attorney that he’d testified before the estate committee on my grandmother’s behalf. Now, I understood more about why.
By the time the crowd settled, the Hallock family had gone. It made me sad because I knew I likely wouldn’t see the old man again. I wished my grandmother had been willing to confide in us about her life here and the family she’d had, even if they hadn’t been her biological kin.
Considering the details, I couldn’t blame her. As I helped the bussing kids finish the tables, I wondered what my life would’ve been like if I’d grown up here, playing in the woods between the estate, the river, and the Pacific. It was hard to imagine it being more different from the childhood I’d had.
All things considered, though, I grew up happy. Poor, sometimes wondering where the next meal would come from or where we would live, but happy and loved unconditionally by my dad and my grandmother.
We might’ve been the products of some bad, if not tragic, unions, but that didn’t negate the beauty of the family we’d created in spite of it.
Mr. Hallock continued to fill my thoughts as the days wore on. Finally, I decided I wanted to visit him again. Unfortunately, the following weekend, Deke called Cary to ask if he’d act as a pallbearer at his grandfather’s funeral. Despite the progress he’d been making with the chemotherapy treatments, he’d suffered a stroke the night before and had passed away in his sleep.
Even though I barely knew the man, his death brought up all the heavy feelings of loss I was still suffering from when my grandmother and dad had died. Cary found me that night curled in a ball in the middle of my bed, crying my eyes out.
I probably should’ve been embarrassed, but having his arms wrapped around me felt better than anything else. I needed to feel like, at least for a while, someone cared enough to hold me while I mourned the loss of the only people who’d ever loved me.
38
Cary
Iheld Evan forhours while he cried. At first, I didn’t understand why he was so upset about Mr. Hallock’s death. Then when I talked to Deke, he explained that his family had all escorted his grandpa to the restaurant that day. “Grandpa laid it all out on the table. It was hard to listen to, and I wasn’t even part of it,” he’d told me.
“Well, Evan’s struggling with it. When’s the funeral? It goes without saying I’ll be a pallbearer, but do you need anything else?” I asked.
Of course, they didn’t. Deke’s family were some of the most organized people I’d ever met. Despite the less than stellar décor of the manor and restaurant, it’d been highly regarded until the day they closed.
I knew how much Deke’s family appreciated that Christie and Evan had continued that legacy. In many ways, according to what Deke had told me his grandfather had told Evan, they were all family anyway. Albeit estranged.
They had the funeral on a Friday, and to my surprise, Evan said he wanted to come with me. He sat stoically as they readthe old man’s eulogy, then followed us to the cemetery, where he stood next to me as they laid Mr. Hallock to rest.
When everyone gathered afterward to eat and visit, I was talking to Deke’s mom when Evan approached Deke. “After what your grandfather told me, I’m going to say he was as close to an uncle as I ever had. I know we didn’t know each other, but his… you all coming to visit and telling me about my grandmother’s past helped heal some open wounds for me. If you ever need anything from me, I’m more than happy to return the favor.”
With that, Evan shook Deke’s hand, and to my surprise, Deke pulled him into a hug. “I guess that makes you our cousin then, huh?” Deke asked him.
Tears once again fell from Evan’s eyes. “I-I guess it does,” he said, then quickly made his way outside.
I looked over at Deke and smiled. My best friend was a good man. Even on this tough day when he faced his own losses, he’d still helped a man who’d lost so much feel like he belonged. That was about as good as anyone could get, as far as I was concerned.
39
Evan
Iwas hit harderby the loss of Mr. Hallock than made sense. I knew it was confusing to my newly found friends and business partners… and my lover. They didn’t understand that his death embodied all I’d lost and would never have again.
Regardless, I forced myself to get up and move past the depression in the days that followed. Luckily, I could take a few days off thanks to Christie’s skill in hiring competent people.
That became even more apparent when the water main broke in Al and Christie’s home, flooding their first floor and several guest bedrooms. Christie’s new staff kept things running at the restaurant while she helped her wife deal with the aftermath.
“We’re going to have to cancel all the bed-and-breakfast guests this month,” Christie confided in me when she arrived early to help get her cooking staff up to speed on the day’s menu.
“Why don’t you have them use the rooms here?” I asked. “There are more than enough that’ve been upgraded to meet state requirements. I mean, they’re still hideous, but if you bring your furniture and décor over, I think Cary and I can get a coupleof the less ugly rooms painted. There’s the much better-looking suite on the top floor too.”
“Really?” Christie asked, and when Al showed up to go through the rooms, she agreed they could use what they had to make them look decent.
“Okay, what do we have to do to use them without getting in trouble?” I asked Cary, who then contacted Deke. Thankfully, he said the license was still active, so we’d just need an inspection, otherwise we should be good to go.
