Most Anything You Please by Trudy Morgan-Cole

Author:Trudy Morgan-Cole
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Breakwater Books Ltd
Published: 2017-11-06T16:00:00+00:00

ELLEN

They all came home for the funeral—Marilyn, June, even Frank, whose wife was due to have the baby any day now. All five of Ellen’s children were beside her as they lowered Wes into his grave. And a good few grandchildren too—all Alf and Treese’s crowd except Randy. Marilyn’s oldest, Sharon, a solemn round-faced twelve year old, had come home with her mother. And Henry had flown in last night and now stood looking uneasy in a dark suit. Death brought them all together.

Ellen felt queer. That was the best way she could put it, a queer feeling. The reality of what had happened came and went. Sometimes it hit her full-force that Wes was dead, and she sank under a wave of hard sobs; at other times she forgot, and turned, expecting to see him come into the room. Still other times it seemed like his death happened a long time ago; she could hardly believe he was here with her just a couple of days before.

At the funeral home, and later after the service at church, people flowed past. They took her hand and said, “Sorry for your trouble,” or “What a shame.” Someone told her, “They don’t make them like him anymore.” An odd sentiment, as if she were planning to drop into the Arcade Stores tomorrow and see if they had any replacement husbands. But Ellen thought there was some truth to it. Alf, maybe, was a man in his father’s mold, but he lacked Wes’s gentleness. Frank was not that kind of man; she loved her younger son, but he wasn’t half the man his father was. Alf’s boys were both hard workers but she didn’t see their grandfather’s steadiness in them. And as for Henry—well. Best not to even talk about Henry.

She and Audrey talked about him, of course, once the funeral was over and they were back home. Rachel was in bed and Henry gone out somewhere. June, who was staying with Ellen and Audrey, made tea for the three women and put out a plate of date squares that one of the neighbours had brought over. “I can’t get over how grown up your Henry is,” she told Audrey.

“Well, he’s twenty-two.” Audrey hadn’t seen her son for four years, which seemed like a long time until Ellen stopped to think that she herself hadn’t seen June in eight years. June had two children, and Marilyn two younger ones, who Ellen had never laid eyes on, except for pictures. It was expensive to bring a whole family home for a holiday. Marilyn and June and Frank were always after her to come up there for a visit, but Ellen always said she couldn’t leave the store. Would Wes have liked that? she wondered now. A trip up to the mainland to see his children and grandchildren?

“What’s Henry been doing, all this time? All the time down in the States with his father’s people?” June wanted to know.

Audrey shook her head. “No, no—he was down there for— what was it, Mom? Six months, maybe eight.

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