“She’s in a better place,” David smiled.
“She is,” Nora agreed, hugging her eldest son. “It’s how I want to go when my time comes…just go to sleep and never wake up…very peacefully.”
Hailey swallowed hard. She imagined it was how most people would script their last moments if they had final edit… to live a full life, to grow old, not to suffer in the end, simply to spend their last day laughing with their family, only to go to sleep one final time.
Randy put his hand on his son’s shoulder. “Are you going to make it back to eat with us? The ladies at the church have set up quite a spread I hear.”
“Hope Hull funeral food,” Hailey nodded as she slipped in to hug David. “It’s small town Tennessee at its best!”
“Spoken like a girl after my own heart,” David smiled. “It is a shame that somebody has to die for us to eat this good.”
“I’m starving,” Rachel, who was in earshot in the chair, agreed.
Nora glanced over at her daughter. “Rachel Cohen, sit up like a lady and close your knees, Darlin’, oh my lands…” She moved toward her daughter. “Come-on, Sugar, let’s get you inside. You are swellin’ up like you wouldn’t believe, and we don’t want our baby girl coming early on account of the heat.”
“No we don’t,” Rachel quipped, locking arms with her mother. “At least not until I get some banana pudding.”
Wally smiled at Hailey. “I’ve never seen you in a dress,” he nodded his approval.
Hailey paused for a moment to wonder what Grant would say as Wally, however innocently, looked her up and down. The thought alone made her giggle.
“I thought Granny would appreciate it,” Hailey smiled brightly. “I guess it’s safe to say that Grant has officially shaken a little of the tomboy off of me as Granny would put it.”
Two old ladies in wide-brimmed funeral hats walked by, sobbing into handkerchiefs. Joanna bumped Hailey with her hip. “You forgot your hat,” she whispered.
John walked up and put one hand on Joanna’s shoulder and the other on Hailey’s. “Ladies, it seems you forgot your hats,” he smirked.
Both girls cackled and then, lowering their heads, remembered to shush themselves. “You’re a little late on the hat joke there, Bucko!” Joanna rolled her eyes.
John fell easily into step with the girls as he escorted one on each arm. “Have I ever told you the story of my Aunt Wanda’s funeral?” he began as they walked. Hailey grinned broadly and made a mental note to ask Joanna why on Earth her long-time, always on-off, as obsessed with his career as Joanna was boyfriend had not yet been made a permanent part of the family.
Emily sat on the edge of her bed, dressed in a sleeveless, lavender dress and working to fasten a dainty, silver bracelet around her wrist as Rachel gently ran a brush through her long, shinny hair. Both girls were quiet. Graduation day for Hope Hull’s senior class had finally arrived, and Dr. Lassiter, after a round of tests, had okayed Grant’s limited participation, but the mood around the house that morning was subdued to say the least.
In just a couple of hours, they would all watch Grant graduate from high school. For a handful of eighteen-year-old kids who had waited for this day since they set foot in their kindergarten classrooms thirteen and fourteen years earlier, the day would be a celebration, a celebration of where they had been but, more importantly, a celebration of where they were going. It was going to be a day filled with inspiring speeches full of promise and hope for the future. For a gymnasium of graduating seniors, this would represent the first day of the rest of their lives, but for Grant it could well be a day when he would stand in front of his family and friends, wear a tacky cap and gown, walk across a stage and get a diploma, so that all those who loved him could remember the day once his time on Earth was through.
Though he tired easily, Grant had put on a brave face all morning. He and Hailey had posed for pictures in their green and white caps and gowns, and Grant had been admirably upbeat.
With tears in her eyes, Rachel watched Nora straighten Grant’s tie and kiss his cheek. Nora turned to Rachel when they were alone, hugged her, and, swiping at her tears, said, “I always knew I’d cry when this day came.” She forced a smile braver than any Rachel had ever seen and added, “but I always thought it would be because I’d be so much older than all the other moms at his graduation.” Nora dismissed her tears with a shake of her head. “I will have to color my hair until we get Zach through high school; my heavens, I’ll be a sight by then, won’t I?”
“It’s almost time to go,” Emily said quietly as Rachel helped her and Jessica refresh their makeup.
“Jess?” Hailey said, appearing in the doorway with Zach’s pacifier in one hand and his special teddy bear in the other. “Do you have the camera? Nora dressed the baby, and Grant wants to get some pictures of him.”
“Rachel brought him a new outfit for the special day,” Emily’s face brightened. “It’s so cute, Jessica; you will love it!”
“It has a little necktie,” Rachel said, bringing her hands to her heart. “I had a fit over it!”
Jessica took the camera from the top of the dresser and walked toward the door. Hailey reached for the camera but Jessica shooed her away. “I’m coming. I will take some pictures of the three of you.”
“Did you buy anything pretty for Miss Victoria?” Hailey grinned at Rachel.
Rachel moved her hands to her stomach. “Oh my goodness, Wally would lose it if he knew how much I’ve bought…but the dresses are just too adorable, and, of course, I had to get her matching bows and bloomers and little, frilly socks.”
“Hailey?” Grant called. “He’s smiling; where are you?”
Jessica grabbed her sister’s hand. “Aunt Jess is coming, Zach!”
When Emily looked back at Rachel, she realized Rachel was crying. “Are you okay?” she gulped.
Rachel nodded as her hands unconsciously stroked her belly. “I was just thinking about Mom and how hard all of this is on her.”
“She’s holding up pretty well,” Emily said proudly. “She’s pretty amazing that way. I mean, with everything that has happened recently: Grant getting sick, Zach being born and Granny passing away unexpectedly… she’s tough.”
“Zach is so blessed to have her,” Rachel nodded. “I’ve been thinking about that a lot…and, of course, it makes me think about everything she’s done for me…for us.”
Rachel tried to stifle her tears but found that she couldn’t. “Pregnancy hormones,” she rolled her eyes, fanning her hands in front of her eyes as she fretted about her mascara. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m sorry, Emily.”
Emily was visibly stunned. “You don’t have anything to apologize for,” she gasped. “You were so young…”
“I know,” Rachel sighed. “It wasn’t an ideal situation…but I feel like I should have done more…like I should have been less selfish and…”
“No,” Emily interrupted. “Rachel, you were so brave; you gave me the greatest gift that I could ever ask for…you gave me life. After everything that happened to you, you chose not to terminate your pregnancy; you chose to love a baby that was the result of something so awful. Then, you gave me to Mom and Dad…you gave me a wonderful life…you did all that for me.”
“I didn’t know if I could do it,” Rachel admitted.
“You must have been so scared,” Emily gulped.
