“With all that food at the house,” Teresa scolded, “why didn’t you?”
Kayla held up a hand. “I couldn’t force anything down. If I could have a glass of milk or orange juice, I’ll be okay.”
“There’s a convenience store down the street.” Noah got to his feet. “Don’t try to sit up until—”
“What’s happened?” Nadine seemed to appear out of nowhere.
“She fainted,” Noah explained.
“We have that happen from time to time,” Nadine said. “Can I get you some crackers and juice, or milk and a candy bar? We keep a small supply of snacks in the kitchen.”
“Yes, please,” Teresa answered.
Nadine hurried out of the room and came back with a basket of snacks. “I brought several things in case the rest of you would like something. There’s also bottles of juice and water if you need a little pick-me-up. This kind of event can drain your supply of emotions for sure, and some food helps the body keep going. Y’all stay as long as you want. I’ll be here until five, but I don’t mind sticking around longer since it’s Miss Janie.”
“Thank you so much,” Noah said.
“You’re very welcome. I really loved that woman,” Nadine said as she left the room and eased the door shut.
Teresa opened a package of peanut butter crackers and put one in Kayla’s mouth. Noah twisted the cap off a small bottle of milk for her and then removed the wrapper from a candy bar.
Kayla chewed and swallowed the cracker and then tried to sit up again. She still felt weak, but at least nothing around her was spinning. Teresa handed her the milk, and she drank all eight ounces of it at once. “You eat that candy bar,” she told Noah. “I’d rather finish the crackers and have another milk.”
“Don’t mind if I do.” Noah passed the basket over to Teresa, who took a bottle of water, then set the basket on a chair next to the one where Noah had sat down.
“I thought I was strong,” Kayla said. “That I could march right up here and look at her, maybe cry at the idea of never seeing her again, and then comfort y’all. She’s not even the first dead person I’ve seen, but . . .” Her voice faltered as the tears began to flow.
“But it’s Miss Janie,” Noah said.
Teresa grabbed the box of tissues from a nearby chair, pulled out a couple, and dried Kayla’s tears. Then she started to cry with her, and soon Noah was wiping all their faces.
“She’d scold us for sure.” Noah’s voice sounded hoarse. “We’re not supposed to grieve, but to rejoice that she’s not in pain and that she has finished her race.”
“Tell that to my aching heart,” Kayla whispered. “I should’ve come back to see her.”
“We all have regrets about that,” Noah said. “But we also know that she didn’t hold us guilty.”
Teresa pulled a ponytail holder from the pocket of her jeans and whipped her black hair away from her face. “I know there’s bushels of food at the house, but why don’t we all go to the Dairy Queen, have a burger, and settle our emotions.”
“Is that against the rules?” Kayla asked. “If someone sees us there, will they think we don’t appreciate what everyone has already brought us?”
“We will be glad for all the food for weeks to come,” Teresa said. “But right now I could use a big, greasy burger and some french fries.”
“Me too.” Kayla got to her feet and went back to the casket for a final look. “Goodbye, Miss Janie. I love you.”
Noah dreaded the actual funeral service. The only people he really knew were Teresa, Kayla, and Sam, but several of the folks who brought food said they would see him at the graveside. Evidently, Miss Janie’s close friends went beyond the four people that she considered family.
Having her service on a bright, sunny day seemed fitting. Storms might come tomorrow, but today was gorgeous, with a few white, fluffy clouds in the blue summer sky. Noah started out of his bedroom and found Teresa sitting on the top step of the staircase. She’d dressed in a simple little black dress, with her dark hair twisted up and held in place with a wide gold clip.
“I can almost hear Miss Janie whispering words of comfort in my ears. She’s telling me not to grieve, but to get on with life,” Teresa said when he sat down beside her.