Then they stood together until the vehicle was out of sight and the dust it left behind had completely settled.
“This is a small community, but we take care of our own,” Sam said. “The food will start pouring in here as soon as the community knows she’s gone. Folks used to bring in food for her before y’all showed up. I kind of took it upon myself to tell everyone to let her have the time with her family since we knew the end was in sight. I’ll stick around and help y’all since I know everyone.”
“Thank you,” Teresa said. “I’ve never been involved with anything like this before. What do we do about the services, Noah?”
“First of all,” Sam said, jumping in, “we go into the house and have something to eat. Then we can talk about what comes next. Y’all need to keep your physical strength up, or you’ll get all depressed, and I’m talking from experience. Miss Janie saw to it that I ate three times a day when Delia passed. She fussed at me when I didn’t think I could swallow a bite. It’s my turn to be that person for y’all.”
“I’m not hungry,” Teresa whispered. “If I eat, I’ll gag.”
“Sam is so right,” Noah said. “And after we have breakfast, I need you girls to help me pick out a dress to take to the funeral home for her burial. The florists are closed today, so we’ll have to be ready first thing in the morning to go choose flowers for the casket piece.”
“My mind is numb,” Teresa whispered. “I don’t know that I can do either of those things.”
“You will take each step one at a time,” Sam said. “The funeral home won’t need her dress until tomorrow morning, so you’ve got time to think about that and the flowers.”
Noah started back toward the house, but when he realized Teresa wasn’t moving, he came back. “She wanted to be buried as quickly as possible, and she wants graveside services only. She told me what song to play, and she said that the preacher could say a few words, and each of us is supposed to speak, but nothing lengthy. I was thinking Tuesday morning.”
“That’s too soon.” Teresa shook her head slowly. “I can’t . . . We should . . . Oh, Noah.” She buried her head against his shoulder. “How are we going to let them put her in the cold ground and cover her up with dirt?”
He wrapped his arms around her and mingled his tears with hers. He didn’t care if the General did think he was too soft for a man. “Like you said earlier, that’s only her body, darlin’. Miss Janie doesn’t occupy that space anymore. She’s with Aunt Ruthie now. She’s not in pain, and she’s got her right mind back.”
Teresa took a step back. “I thought I was ready for when her time came, but I was so wrong.”
“We are never ready.” Noah laced her fingers in his and gently pulled her toward the house. “We all knew my grandfather wouldn’t last long, and yet when he was gone, we weren’t ready to lose him. My dad went suddenly, so we sure weren’t ready. I remember thinking at the time that it didn’t matter if we had weeks to prepare for a loved one’s death or no time at all. We could never be ready no matter how hard we try or even think we are.”
“I should have come to visit her more often, but I was so ashamed of what I’d made of my life that I couldn’t face her. She did so much for me, and I wasted everything.” Teresa wanted to stop crying, but the tears kept coming like there would be no end to them.
Noah opened the door for her. “You came when she asked for you, and you had time with her—and more importantly, she had time with you—so stop beating yourself up.”
When they reached the kitchen, Sam had put a yellow legal pad and a pencil on the table. “That’s to write down what each person brings in the way of food. Did she leave any directions about what she wants done?”
“She wants a blue casket like Aunt Ruthie’s, and she said not to spend too much money on it,” Noah answered. “We discussed all that when I first got here last June, and then again a few days ago.”
“She likes red roses and yellow daisies,” Kayla said. “She told me