Sassafras Part 36

Joan


We finished up the poster and got dressed. Billy didn't have any real nice clothes, but he wore something dark and tasteful. I wore a white dress with a black tuxedo jacket I found at the same resale store I found my gray dress in. Our first stop of the day was the bank. They weren’t going to give me the run around any longer. I had Billy with me, and the papers from The Home listing me as Mom’s legal guardian. When we walked in I went right to the desk by the window that I had gone to every other time. This time the man working was more helpful. He looked at the papers I filled out at the nursing home, typed something on his computer, and then led us to the safety deposit boxes. Jenny had a small box, a little bigger than a shoe box. When I opened it I saw stacks of papers. The very first piece of paper was her marriage license, then Bill Bota’s birth and death certificates, her and Billy’s birth certificates, the title to her car and legal papers about the house. Some papers from The Home about Mom, medical records, a piece of paper with bank account and credit card numbers and a list of the contents of Jenny’s house, complete with prices for everything. At the bottom of the pile was a life insurance policy for $10,000. I was happy to see that. I just hoped she had been able to keep making the payments for it, or it would be worthless.

We stopped at Don's afterward and had lunch, but we didn't talk much. Before we left Don came over and handed me an envelope with $1,570 in it. He said it was the money they had collected in the coffee can so far, plus something a little extra from him. I couldn’t believe the people in Sassafras were that generous, but he said it wasn’t just people from Sassafras. Since Don’s moved to the overpass they got customers from all across the state, especially after a huge truck stop opened right across the parking lot. The truckers all loved Jenny. Just like everybody else she met.

The viewing was so depressing. People I didn't know shook my hand and said they were so sorry, but they were all a blur. I kept thinking about Jenny, wondering if one of the people shaking my hand had been the one who killed her. I couldn't believe anybody would kill her, but nothing else made sense. I knew it wasn't an accident. It couldn't be. Or did I just not want to see the truth. I looked over at her lying there in the casket. How could anybody want to kill her?

I couldn’t believe how many people showed up. It seemed like the whole town came. There were so many flowers they covered the front of the room and ran down both sides all the way to the back. I could tell the ones Maria sent. It was a huge arrangement of white roses with a pink ribbon woven through it. The card was signed by so many people from work there was hardly any blank space. There was also an arrangement from Mr. Gunderson, and even Senator O’Brien sent flowers. People seemed to look at me differently after they read the card from Senator O’Brien. Like I was more than just Jenny’s sister.

I turned once and thought I saw Rick, standing by the door with his back to me. I smiled and started to walk up to him, but when he turned around I saw it was somebody else. I had been so sure it was Rick, when I realized it wasn’t I felt like somebody had hit me in the stomach.

I looked at Billy, standing in a corner talking to some of his friends. He looked at me and I remembered how his father used to lean against his locker at school, talking with his friends and looking cool. I used to have a crush on him, and had a hard time when he started dating Jenny. I was so jealous. I was always jealous of Jenny.

I was glad when I saw Deana walk in with her husband and two children. She gave me a big hug and her husband shook my hand. He was a short, heavy-set man with glasses, not the sort of man she would have looked at twice when we were in school. When Bob took Brian to the bathroom I pulled Deana aside. “I met somebody,” I whispered.

“You met somebody! Who is it? Do I know him?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “His name’s Rick Gilbert. He works at the Purina plant. I met him at Tanner’s Thursday night.”

“The convict?”

“You know about him?”

“Honey, this is Sassafras. What do you think? He might as well have put an ad in the paper. Did he ask you out?”

“He came over last night for dinner.”

“You go, Girl. I knew there was hope for you yet. Are you going out with him again?”

“I hope so. He’s working today, but he said he’d let me know when he got off.” When Deana started laughing it took me a minute to realize what I said. "I mean he'd call when he got off work. You have a dirty mind."

“Maybe you’ll get lucky,” she teased. She saw me blushing even harder and laughed. “You already did, didn’t you?”

“He spent the night,” I admitted.

“How was it?”

“It was awesome. I can’t describe it. Just awesome.”

Bob and Brian came back right then and broke up our conversation. A little later when they were saying goodbye Deana hugged me and whispered “Have fun with Rick tonight.”

It had been over for an hour when Rick finally called. I was so glad to hear his voice. He said he had some work to take care of, but he wanted to get together later. I asked him if he would like to meet Billy and me for dinner at Tanner's and he said yes.