Chapter Two
With
Emily laid out in the funeral home’s basement and Earl in the kitchen of Ross’
apartment, reluctant to enter his empty home as the end of that awful day drew
near, Ross still dreaded making that phone call. It was to Earl’s sister, Ann.
He loved his niece and in some ways was a mentor to her, but as Ann grew older,
they grew apart, for no reason other than the different lives people have, with
little common ground besides blood.
Still,
Ann was the closest relative not just to Earl, but also to Emily, whose
immediate family was all dead and whose in-laws never bothered to make the
attempt to keep in touch. During Ann’s rare visits to Connor she spent most of
her time with Emily, with Earl so busy with the funeral home.
As his
aged crooked finger gently ran down a list of numbers in small black book, Ross
peered at Ann’s name, still Taylor, and the exotic address, some Rue or
another, in some place in Paris, France. Ross began dialing a number. The
ringing began, and continued for some time before he heard a faint ‘hello?’
+
Earl
spent the night on the bedding he placed on the floor, unable to sleep in the
bed he shared with Emily. He spent most of the night unaware of being awake or
asleep, except for when he dressed and went downstairs to the living room to
acknowledge his neighbors’ sympathy. It was possible the entire town of Connor
turned out to pay its respect to Emily Taylor. Visitation was two nights for
four hours each, and both nights the funeral home on State and Elm overflowed
with folks wanting to offer some word of kindness to Earl and Ann and Ross.
The
Episcopal church was packed for her funeral service. The procession to the
cemetery was 35 cars long and the crowd at the graveside service numbered over
500, according to Dave Weisbrodt, who was there with his brothers and a cousin,
all policemen and close friends of the Taylor family.
Emily
Taylor wasn’t particularly religious but she did attend Episcopalian services
somewhat regularly, sang with deep reverence, and knew the music by heart. The rector
said she would be remembered as someone who always gave of her time to any
cause no matter how small. Many mourners from all over Connor were there
because of a kindness she showed during some time of need, and most of the time
it had nothing do with the funeral home or the church, or the women’s aid
committees and other charitable groups. Everyone who knew her knew she took a
personal interest in nearly everyone in Connor. No one ever had anything bad to
say about Emily Taylor.
Earl’s
shock and grief were still too deep within him to rightly acknowledge the
outpouring of love and kindness folks showed for Emily. He spent most of those
hours nodding his head, tilting it to one side, rubbing a handkerchief under
his nose, and throwing pleading looks at Ross whenever he felt truly overwhelmed. Despite
soldiering on at the funeral home and maintaining his poise during the
services, he was numb, and his soul had a perpetual raw, nagging ache.
