Page 74 of Christmas at Black Cherry Retreat
Chapter Thirty-Five
‘My washing is doing its thing and I saw Billy’s car was gone so I…’ Fee’s voice trailed away as she glanced at the two men. ‘What on earth’s wrong?’
‘It’s my mama.’ Hank’s anguished voice made the bottom drop out of Fee’s stomach. ‘Her heart…’ He couldn’t carry on.
‘Pop stopped by when he was out on patrol and found her on the patio.He thought at first she’d fallen asleep in the chair but…’ Tom wiped at his eyes. ‘We all knew she had a bad heart but no one thought it’d come this quick.’
‘Was our visit too much for her?’
Tom snatched hold of her hands. ‘Mee Maw saw us happy together.’ He swallowed hard. ‘I’m damn glad we went and she’d say the same.’
‘I’d better go, son.’ Hank interrupted. ‘Got a tonto arrange. I’m guessin’ we’ll go with Thursday evening for visitation and Friday afternoon for the funeral.’
‘As soon as that?’ Fee couldn’t hide her surprise.
‘Yeah. That’s the norm here. We do the visitation piece for people who can’t get to the service and those who want a chance to talk with the family. It’ll last a couple of hours and we’ll do that in the church hall. Howlong do y’all wait for your funerals?’ Tom asked.
‘At least a week and a fortnight isn’t unusual.’
‘Mama left me very specific instructions and she went over them with me only last Sunday. Almost like she knew.’ Hank blinked back tears. ‘I’m guessin’ this will sound mighty strange to you but my mama was a huge football fan and she insisted that her funeral mustn’t be held on aSaturday when the University of Tennessee plays at home in Knoxville. That’s the case this week so Friday it is.’ His raspy voice broke. ‘She said people would resent giving up their tickets to the game and would be searching for a TV to watch or following the score on their cell phones. She wanted their full attention.’
‘Oh, right. Well you can’t disobey her orders.’ Fee struggled tosmile.
‘We’ll come down in a while to be with y’all.’ Tom rested his hand on Hank’s shoulder and something about the role reversal touched her. The two men walked outside together and their murmured voices drifted in through the half-open door before his father drove off.
Tom’s boots dragged across the wood floor and he hurried to wrap his arms around her. ‘Mee Maw would insistshe had a good long life with so many blessings she couldn’t count them.’ His eyes glistened as he fought with his emotions. ‘But it doesn’t make it any damn easier. What am I goin’ to do without her, Fee? She nagged me after I lost Gina about wasting my life and I regret—’
‘Don’t.’ Fee fixed him with a stern stare. ‘Regret is a complete waste of time. The best way to honour your grandmotheris to make every day count.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘Goodness. I’m starting to sound like a combination of my therapist and your grandmother.’
‘She is… was a wise lady and I’m damn sure she’s in heaven now laughing at me and sayin’ it’s about time I realised she was right all along.’ His voice wobbled. ‘I’d better change into some decent clothes before we go to town then I’ll fix us a snack.I’m sure there will be a ton of food in the house by the time we arrive but there won’t be much suitable for you to eat.’
Fee almost said she wasn’t hungry and couldn’t imagine being so anytime soon but sensed he needed something to do.
‘It’s an old tradition in the South to bring food to people who they think need nourishment whether it’s because they’re sick, just had a babyor are in mourning. After Gina died my kitchen was covered in food but I couldn’t force down a single bite.’
It broke her heart to hear him say that one night he tossed it all in the trash when he couldn’t bear the constant reminders of his loss staring him in the face every time he fetched a glass of water.
‘By tomorrow morning there’ll be at least four variations on the standardgreen bean casserole, mounds of fried chicken, baked ham, devilled eggs and pies and cakes too numerous to mention. Make sure you stay away from Dolly Robinson’s oatmeal raisin cookies.’ Tom eked out a smile. ‘You might think they’re a safe choice but you’ll risk breaking a tooth. You’ll easily recognise them because she incinerates them to a lethal shade of charcoal black.’
‘You’re exaggerating.’
Tom held up three fingers. ‘Scout’s honour.’
‘I’ll let you feed me.’
Tom drank in the sight of Fee across the kitchen table. She’d eaten every scrap of the wholewheat tortilla stuffed with lean turkey and salad he’d made. He polished off one too, figuring it wouldn’t do him any harm. In the back of his mind he knew he’d indulge in more food later so it wasn’t complete altruismon his part.
‘By the way, we’re still goin’ to Europe next week as planned.’ He thought he’d better put that out there before she got the idea to cancel their trip.
‘But surely you…’
‘Mee Maw knew we needed to go.’
‘If you’re sure, I’m not going to argue. Tomorrow I’ll have to go shopping and buy something for the… funeral. I don’t have a skirt or dress with mehere.’ She shrugged. ‘Actually I don’t actually own either.’
‘How about I take you in the morning?’ The words tumbled out of his mouth before he stopped to think. Gina only took him clothes shopping once and then refused to ever repeat the experience. She’d called him grumpy, impatient and morose. And those had been the kindest words she chose – the rest didn’t bear remembering.
‘Really?’ Her eyebrows rose to the ceiling. ‘The combination of you and shops was one of the things your grandmother warned me about.’
