Barry walked in. “I need a shirt for the funeral and I gotta replace the broken headlight before we get a ticket. Yesterday I only had time to fix the bumper.”
“Go ahead.” Sunny got up. “We’ll pick up a shirt for you at Gottschalk’s. White okay? Or striped? Colored?”
“You pick. I trust your good taste.” He kissed her, hugged Rita, and left.
At the large department store in Park Lane Mall, Rita and Sunny shopped, remembering times they’d each gone shopping with Gina. Gina had loved the perfume and makeup counters where you could try on stuff for free. Rita remembered the day—long before Gina married Jesse—when they pretended to be bride and flower girl and tried on wedding dresses, trying not to laugh and give away their mischievousness. Sunny recalled shopping with Gina for baby things before Tommy was born. Gina had held the soft baby blankets and sweaters and booties to her cheek and sighed happily, though it was not a totally happy time, with her being pregnant and single.
After picking up Barry’s shirt and a tie, they set out to find the perfect thing for Gina—a shroud that was anything but a shroud. Gina always loved bright colors, so it had to be bright and cheerful. She loved soft materials, so it had to be fluid and comfy. She insisted that everything she wore, even from thrift stores, be chic and fashionable … or kooky retro. She had a way of putting things together so she always looked like a magazine cover model. Sunny and Rita scoured the store, becoming more and more frustrated.
“I never even thought about how to dress a dead person before. It’s not that easy,” said Sunny. “It has to be perfect … but what’s perfect?”
“Let’s just get something, Mom. Anything would be better than that maid thing Eva stuck her with,” said Rita, checking her watch. “I have to get to work. Three of my regulars are coming in this afternoon.”
They settled on a print dress—purple, fuchsia, and turquoise in a soft silky knit—and hurried home. As soon as she dropped her mom off, Rita drove to her salon.
Sunny settled down to wait for Barry, notebook and pen in hand. Her mind wandered to Gina. She felt that Gina was close. Maybe if she shut her eyes.
When the front door burst open and Barry lumbered in, she awoke surprised that two hours had passed, and no Gina.
“Hi. Got the headlight fixed. And the tires rotated. I never have time to get it done at home. What’s up?”
“Bought you a shirt. We got a dress for Gina. I’m not thrilled with it, but it’s better than what they’ve got on her now. Maybe that’s the best we can hope for. And we got material for the tobacco pouches.”
“What do you have the rest of the afternoon?”
“I want to update my notebook on what has happened so far, before I forget. I’ll start with when we first got to Gina’s house, including what happened with Eva, Jesse, and his cousin, Louis.”
He smiled. “Uh-oh, I see the ‘investigator’ taking over.”
“Barry, this is serious. Something is off. I still can’t remember what I heard about Jesse’s cousin, Louis, but it makes me uneasy.”
“Did you see him at the house?”
“No. I haven’t seen him, but when I hear his name, something jars my insides.”
She jotted down things that troubled her, and names of people at the party. It was odd that Gina loaded a rifle when she hated guns. And the raw skin on her wrist was still troubling to Sunny. She concluded her notes with Jesse’s and Eva’s strange reactions to everything. Sunny looked up at the wall, watching dust motes float in the sunshine as her thoughts went in all directions.
“So, when are you taking the dress over to the funeral parlor?” asked Barry.
She shook her head to come back to the here and now. The clock on the wall indicated that the time was three already. “Right now.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Sunny went to her room to change from jeans and a sweatshirt into gabardine slacks, a tailored blouse, and a blazer, such as she wore to work. She’d have to “dress for success” if she were to carry this thing off. She’d need to exude authority to convince the undertaker to change the clothes of a “dear departed” in his care.
Pulling the jacket from the closet, her eyes rested on the red wool knit dress, the dress Gina had begged to inherit, the one Sunny brought to wear to her funeral. “That’s it! That’s the one! She’ll be buried in my red dress that she loved.”
The more Sunny thought about it, the more excited she became. She held the dress up to her, watching her reflection in the full-length mirror in Rita’s room. “Yes, that’s perfect. That way, we’ll be together through eternity. My dress, and the faux gold jewelry I always wore with it, on my best friend. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it sooner.”
At the funeral home, Sunny made her way down the long hallway to the office at the rear of the building, her arm wrapped tightly around a parcel. She knocked. A man’s voice called out, “Come in.”
Squaring her shoulders and taking a deep breath, then exhaling all the way from her toes, she opened the door and walked in.
“How can I help you?” asked the man from behind his desk. His deep James Earl Jones voice seemed out of place coming from his sallow, skeletal frame. His charcoal-gray suit and pale gray tie suited him, however.
“I’m Sunny Davis, here for Gina Wilson.” She spoke with calm authority, extending her hand.
“Ralph Kendall. How can I help you?” he repeated, rising and placing his bony hand in hers. He came round the desk.
“Gina was my best friend. She always told me she wanted to be buried in this dress,” she fibbed. “Of course, we never thought it would happen this soon.” She set the parcel on his desk and unwrapped it, revealing the red dress and costume jewelry. “But her sister, Eva, didn’t know about that and put her in something different. I promised my Gina I’d see to it that she wore this dress to her grave, if she were to die before me, that is.”
“This is highly unusual,” said skull-face in his undertaker voice. “Once a…”—he cleared his throat—“…person … is prepared for burial and placed in the casket, we don’t make changes.”
“Oh, but surely you can make an exception,” stated Sunny with as much confidence as she could. “I’d be glad to pay for the extra time it takes, or whatever you need to make it work.”
He shook his head. “It’s not a matter of money, Mrs. Davis. It’s policy. Besides, you’re neither the deceased’s spouse nor a blood relative.”
“That’s true. But a best friend is often closer than either of those. A best friend is a confidant with whom you share your deepest secrets. A best friend is the one who will fight everyone, and everything, for you. I’m here to keep my promise to my best friend.”
“All the same, you are not a family member.”
“As I’m sure you’re aware, Mr. Kendall, ‘family’ has many definitions. There are families related by blood, and there are ‘intentional families,’ in which members choose who they want to claim. Gina and I chose to be ‘family.’” She paused to let that sink in. “I’m sure you have blood relatives to whom you’re not close, and perhaps a friend who’s very close.”
Kendall nodded almost imperceptibly, signaling to Sunny that he was beginning to thaw.
She said, “Perhaps you could find a way to help me keep my promise to my best friend … my chosen sister.”
He looked away noncommittally, then glanced at the red dress on his desk. “My boss would not approve. It’s against the rules.”
She laid her hand on his arm and smiled into his eyes. “If anyone can find a way I’m sure it’s you, Mr. Kendall … Ralph.”
He coughed. “I’ll try, Mrs. Davis. No promises, you understand, but I’ll do my best.”
Late that afternoon, Sunny arrived at the same time Rita and Lee pulled into the driveway. After they brought in everything, Lee helped Barry build a fire in the woodstove, and they moved to the front room where Cheers was on the TV.
Sunny began cutting three-inch squares of the cotton
material while Rita got the tobacco ready to put in the center of each pouch. Its aroma filled the room. Both took deep breaths before folding the ends of white fabric, said a silent prayer of purification, love, and light, then stitched them closed. Stringing the pouches together, they sewed in silence.
“Hey,” Sunny hollered into the next room. “Will you guys come help us hang these?” The women said prayers while the men tacked the strings of pouches in the corners of every room. Lee had questions about the ceremony, but Sunny silenced him in order to finish her prayers. They walked through the house as Sunny said one prayer to help Gina’s spirit pass over to the other side and another to keep them all healthy. Outside they found a small tree with bare branches by the rock on which Rita often sat for meditation. The wind was now a breeze and the smell of wet dirt filled the air. The men strung the colored pouches on the swaying branches, north: white; south: red; east: yellow; and west: black. The men bowed their heads while Sunny and Rita said a prayer to Mother Earth.
When the job was done they went into the front room where they sat and made idle chitchat. Lee didn’t say much. Sunny thought maybe she had offended him when she silenced him. He looked out the window, disinterested. Of course, Sunny smiled; maybe it was because of Barry. When he got started it was hard to get a word in.
Lee’s eyebrows lifted; he stood. “Let’s go,” he told Rita and barely said goodbye.
As they walked out, she shrugged and gave her mother an exasperated look. “Good night.” She closed the door behind them.
It was clear to Sunny that her daughter was embarrassed.
Barry’s mouth gaped. “Was it something I said?”
“No.” Sunny got unfriendly vibes from Lee. She couldn’t put her finger on it … but he was Rita’s choice and she was an adult. Rita would have to deal with him.
In the car Rita turned to Lee. “What is the matter with you? What did I do?”
“Nothing, it’s me.”
“That’s bull. Is it my parents?”
“No, it has nothing to do with you or them. I’m tired and I want to go home. What’s wrong with that?”
“Okay, but you were rude. You’ve been acting strange lately—preoccupied, like,” she said. “Does it bother you that I’m staying at your house?”
“Just leave it alone, okay?”
They were quiet the rest of the way.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
THURSDAY MORNING
The morning of the funeral was overcast. Barry was first to finish dressing. He heard the phone and hurried down the hall to pick it up as Sunny came out of the bedroom. He answered and handed the receiver to her.
“Hi, it’s Jesse. Is Rita there?”
“No, she’s over at her boyfriend’s. What’s up?”
“Humph,” Jesse snorted. “Well, after the funeral my uncle is holding a sweat in Gina’s honor. I know Pine Creek is a long way for you guys, but I hope you can make it.”
“No, it’s fine. Rita already told us. We’ll be there.”
Sunny turned and told Barry what was said. “For some reason when I talk to Jesse lately I feel like I want to throw up.”
A half hour later, Rita and Lee came in. Sunny remarked how nice Rita looked, and she returned the compliment. Sunny wore a long-sleeved black midi cinched at the waist and black boots.
Barry spoke up. “Let’s take my car, it has more room.”
“Hurry up,” Sunny said. “I want to sit where I can watch Jesse and Eva to see how they act together.”
“You are one suspicious lady.”
“Yes, I am.” Sunny thought maybe Jesse and Eva were up to no good but couldn’t put her finger on anything.
She especially wanted to see the expression on Eva’s face when she saw the red dress on Gina in her casket. Certain that Mr. Kendall had managed to make the switch, she smiled in anticipation.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The twenty-mile ride to the reservation church seemed to take forever. Sunny stared out the window in silence. It was the worst trip she could ever remember. She studied the landscape, looking at the dry, dead floor of the desert. She felt as dry and lifeless as the desert.
Rita tapped her mother on her shoulder. “You know, Mom, I never told a soul, but Gina tried to kill herself once before … before her last baby. She took a bunch of pills to Paradise Park because it wasn’t messy and she didn’t want her kids to see. But she started thinking about her boys and couldn’t take it. So what changed?”
“I don’t remember when that happened,” Sunny said. “It makes things more confusing. Why would she do it with the boys right outside? I know she hated guns. It doesn’t add up. I just have to find out what happened.”
Barry looked over at his wife. “Be careful what you say. And who you say it to. You don’t know what really went on. It could be dangerous.”
“I am, but I’m going to keep my eyes and ears open.”
“And your mouth shut.”
Her eyes darted sideways at him. She said nothing.
Pulling into a parking space in front of the church, Barry pointed. “Look.” Two red-tailed hawks circled above the area as they got out of the car.
Sunny looked up at them. They could be messengers bringing Gina to us.
She fell into step as the four walked in silence up the paved pathway.
Entering the small frontier church, Sunny’s stomach did a flip-flop. She tasted bitter saliva. Even in the coolness, she felt beads of sweat form along her hairline. She looked around at the large somber room constructed of wooden planks. The floors were scuffed and badly worn. Large stained glass windows lined both sides of the walls. The other smaller windows had clear glass.
Baskets of flowers surrounded the podium and filled the room with a florist smell. Six rows of hard wooden pews were divided by an aisle into two sections.
Hushed conversations filled the little church. Sunny wasn’t surprised to see a large crowd. Some mourners were dressed up while others wore jeans and Western boots. A couple of men sported traditional Native shirts with ribbons across the front, the ends hanging loose, and cowboy boots and sweaters.
Rita turned to Lee. “It’s nice how everyone comes out to pay respect for the deceased, whether they knew them or not.”
Sunny caught the eye of Jesse’s mother in the front pew. Both gave an understanding nod. Gina’s children weren’t with their grandmother. Sunny’s heart felt broken imagining what those boys were going through. The Allen family sat in the back. The church filled up quickly. The organ music played in the background. Soon the minister came in, dressed in a navy blue suit and a white shirt with a silver bolo tie. Gray braids hung over his shoulders.
During the service, Sunny’s gaze bounced back and forth between Jesse and Eva. Next to Jesse sat a man who was built like a bear. He was dark-skinned, with a face that made you want to play connect-the-dots on his pockmarks.
Sunny leaned over and whispered in Barry’s ear, “That could be Moochie, Jesse’s cousin.”
Two of Gina’s friends faced the coffin with their backs to the congregation. They sang a prayer in Gina’s native Paiute language. Sunny barely took her eyes off Jesse and Eva. Jesse looked straight ahead, stone-faced. Eva’s chin rested on her chest, her fingers playing with the strap on her purse. Next to her, Gerald raised his head in greeting. Eva yawned several times and checked her watch every couple of minutes.
Sunny nudged Barry. “Look at them. Bored to death, like they just want this to be over.”
Barry tilted his head and nodded.
When the preacher finished, everyone stood and, starting with the first row, walked past the coffin. Sunny whispered to Barry and Rita, “Watch Eva. Let’s see what she does.” Jesse and his mother went first. Jesse looked down into Gina’s face and touched her cheek almost tenderly. His mother’s shoulders shook and she wiped her eyes, viewing Gina’s lifeless form. When Eva got close enough to see what Gina was wearing she gasped and stiffened, then turned to glare at Sunny. As her fac
e darkened with rage she mouthed coarse profanities in Sunny’s direction. Her body convulsed with fury. Her eyes blazed like hot coals. Sunny returned her stare with a small satisfied smile before dropping her gaze.
Sunny, Barry, and Rita stood at the casket, the two women weeping, Barry in between with a consoling arm around each. No words came. Words could not convey their feelings. They turned and made their way down the center aisle of the simple church, heads bowed, past the other mourners, and out. Just outside, Eva waited on the church steps.
“Bitch!” hissed Eva, her hands balled into fists. “You had no right.”
“No,” Sunny replied, walking on. “You had no right.”
Eva followed. “She was my sister.”
“And you hated her.”
Barry led her toward the car, speaking softly. “Watch your mouth, Sunny. She’s not somebody you want to mess with.”
“It’s too late for that. I already messed with her by changing Gina’s dress. And I’m glad I did.”
Eva, a coiled snake ready to strike, continued swearing at Sunny, with cursing asides at Rita.
Barry told her, “Eva, I know you’re upset. This is not the time or the place. We’re all upset. Please just back off, okay?”
“I’m not done with you bitches,” she hissed and continued cursing out Sunny and Rita as she retreated to the crowd gathered on the church steps.
They stood by the car, Barry and Sunny smoking Marlboros. Rita said, “Well, that was intense.”
“Big surprise,” said Sunny. “Evil Eva shows her true colors.”
“I’m not happy about this, Sunny,” said Barry. “She looks like she doesn’t get over things easily.”
“Well, I’m not sorry I did it. I couldn’t let Gina look bad at her own funeral. And I’d do it again, a thousand times over. She’d’ve done the same for me.”
Whispers in the Wind Page 7
