See Also Proof by Larry D. Sweazy

Author:Larry D. Sweazy
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Seventh Street Books
Published: 2019-01-28T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 20

I stared into the Kelvinator, searching for a suitable substitute for yellow cream, ignoring the commotion around me. Church services had let out, and there was already a steady stream of mourners leaving their offerings of breads, desserts, and hot dishes on the kitchen table. My own memories of funeral food were still fresh, though this was different. The whole town of Dickinson had shown up on the Jacobsens’ doorstep.

Helen and Lene handled the onslaught of people, but I caught a few frustrated glances directed my way as I ignored the newcomers and went about gathering all of the ingredients to make Anna’s ice cream. I was doing my best to find something to give her some much needed comfort, all the while digesting everything that she’d said. I really needed time to organize my thoughts. I needed to index the patterns and terms that had settled in my mind so I could be free of them. But I didn’t think that was going to happen anytime soon, at least not until I returned home. If then, if I had time. I had real indexing work to do. I felt detached from the Central Flyway book in a way that seemed lazy and dangerous. The Ladies Aid was overtaking my life, my schedule, and my energy.

I pushed aside a glass bottle of milk and found a carton of half-and-half. The thin cream wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for, but store-bought cream would have to do. Sugar and vanilla were easier to find in the pantry. All I needed was fresh snow. There was plenty of that outside the backdoor.

I navigated my way through the steady stream of people, some I recognized and others I didn’t, and retrieved my coat. Then I hurried back to the kitchen, pulled out a saucepan from the cabinet next to the stove, and headed toward the backdoor. Someone said, “Hello,” behind me, but I wasn’t sure if the salutation was for me, so I kept on going. I was focused on one thing: snow ice cream. Nothing was going to get in my way.

I closed the door behind me and stood on the stoop, adjusting to the outside. The cold air nearly took my breath away. Muffled conversations tapped at the walls from inside the house, and I was left to wonder how Anna could get any rest at all.

The sky was full of fragile gray clouds, and the wind was light. The temperature hung a few degrees above zero, its favorite spot in January. Without the roaring wind, the cold in North Dakota felt tolerable to those who were seasoned to frigid conditions. The air was dry. Once the sun came out, some men would walk around without a coat and hat, wearing their work shirts like they were strolling around in the middle of summer.

I searched for some fluffy snow, but my eyes were drawn to the garage at the back of the property. Darlys was standing at the corner, out of the wind, smoking a cigarette, staring away from me, her back to the house.

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