Grief Cottage by Gail Godwin

Author:Gail Godwin
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781632867063
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2017-04-21T04:00:00+00:00

“You could see her beginning to flag,” said Lachicotte, as we walked back to Aunt Charlotte’s. “And she kept eyeing those cigarettes.”

“I wouldn’t care if she smoked.”

“Neither would I. I was raised inside a fog of parental smoke. But smokers nowadays have their individual rules of honor. Obviously hers are outdoors only and not in the presence of others.”

“Why not in the presence of others?”

“The hazards of secondhand smoke.”

“Oh, I knew that.”

“It was kind of you to offer to shop for them every day.”

“No problem. They eat mostly deli, like Aunt Charlotte and me, and this way Roberta won’t have to take the van out of the garage and interrupt her art.”

Lachicotte laughed. “That basket sure was a fright.”

“Just because people are rich doesn’t mean they have taste.” A direct quote from my mom.

Lachicotte paused beside Aunt Charlotte’s Mercedes, which he’d been driving since he sold the Bentley. “How is she doing?”

“She has some kind of project going in her studio.”

“Oh? What kind?”

“It’s secret. I’m not allowed to go in there. I think it involves paint but I can’t be sure because I can’t smell anything through the door. I always used to be able to smell the oils. She spends hours and hours in there every day.”

“How is the—?”

“Festering?”

“You read my mind.”

“Pretty much the same. It’s a bad time for her, she says.”

“Well, when we go back to the surgeon in Charleston, I’m hoping we’ll hear encouraging news that will make her feel better. Is she having pain?”

“Not that I know of. She made me hide her painkillers and there’s still a fair number in the container.”

“Well, we may just make it through the summer. If we do, it will be largely thanks to you, Marcus.”

“Won’t you come in?”

“Thank you, no. I’ve got things to do, and we’ve already said hello. One hello is usually enough for your aunt.”

***

“Tell me all,” Aunt Charlotte said at supper. “I hope it wasn’t too boring for you.”

“Oh no, I enjoyed it. I liked Roberta, too. She was making an ugly misshapen basket for some people who wanted it extra large. She wishes she could send word that she died so she won’t have to finish it.”

This amused Aunt Charlotte. She was enjoying Lachicotte’s steak pie—heated according to his directions—and putting away her usual amounts of wine. She was in a mellow, receptive mood.

“So, what did ‘you all’ talk about?”

“Her son Billy died last winter.”

“Really? What of?”

“He had a heart attack at the hospital. He was having his pacemaker batteries replaced.”

“Is she devastated?”

“Roberta said it was more like she was angry. She was supposed to go first. She told Lachicotte that her son had broken ahead of her in line. She was in a pretty good mood. Though toward the end Lachicotte noticed she was dying to have a cigarette.”

“Depend on Lachicotte to notice something like that.”

“She said she’d never known a Marcus before. She asked what I did to amuse myself on the island.”

“And what did you tell her?”

“About the Turtle Patrol. And riding my bike.

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