Mac
was right. It was good to get out of the house. And having a glass of
wine with her children helped Pat relax. I'm so lucky to have them, she
thought. I only wish they lived closer.
"So,
mom, when are you coming for a visit?" Anne asked later as she passed
a bread basket to her mother. "Thanksgiving's only a month away. How about
flying out to New Hampshire and spending the Pilgrim's Holiday with us
in New England?"
"That's
fine, Annie, but then we get her for Christmas," Mac challenged.
"Yes,
Pat, we'd love you to come to California for Christmas. You could help
us address the wedding invitations," Lisa laughed. "We have to send them
out right after New Years. And of course, we'll all be back here for the
wedding in February."
"Will
you quit planning my life?" Pat pleaded. "I want to spend some time with
all of you, but I'm just not ready to look that far ahead yet. I have
tomorrow to get through, and the next day and next week. Right now I want
to take it a day at a time. But stay in touch, your propositions interest
me," she laughed.
They
were finishing dessert when a voice from across the room whined, "Patti,
you poor dear, I just heard about Sam, today. For God's sake, what happened?"
Pat
followed the familiar voice. Her cousin Nettie, dressed in an exotic caftan
and slightly intoxicated, was making her way toward their table, her arms
spread for an anticipated embrace.
"I'm
just back from the Caribbean and Meg tells me Sammy passed away. But she
didn't know the details."
Anne
and Mac looked at each other and rolled their eyes as they watched their
shirt-tail relative hug their mother. She pulled a chair from a nearby
empty table, planted herself next to Pat and seized her hand. She glanced
around the table and gushed, "my sympathies to you all. Now tell me what
happened."
"Oh,
Nettie, it was terrible," Pat said with a sigh. "I don't know if I can
talk about it yet without crying."
"Well,
dear, you just go ahead and cry. It's good to get that out. It's part
of the grieving process, you know."
Anne
tried to intervene. "Jeannette, maybe mom will feel more like talking
next week. We're all leaving tomorrow and I'm sure she'd like some company
after we're gone."
"It's
okay, Annie," Pat said to her daughter. Then to her cousin, "Sam was out
for his usual noon-time run, and he was hit by a car."
"They
always say that jogging is dangerous," Nettie admonished. "Was he killed
instantly?"
Anne
elbowed her brother.
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