I didn’t know it yet, but she’d died with a huge secret weighing on her conscience.
She wasn’t fine by morning.The funeral passed in fragments.
Casseroles arrived from neighbors.
People hugged me and whispered things I could not hold onto.
Through all of it, the four kids stayed close to my legs like ducklings afraid of losing their last parent.
The first morning after the burial, Joan crawled into my lap before sunrise. « Daddy, are you going to get sick too? »
The funeral passed in fragments. »No, sweetheart. I’m not going anywhere. »
« Promise? »
« I promise. »
Jeremy padded in behind her, dragging the blanket Sarah had stitched his name onto.
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