ones where they used to eat catfish and fries, and had switched over to the new mortuary in town. The new people did a nice job and they were fine, she supposed, for fast and impersonal services. She was not one to badmouth the competition, but theirs was a longtime local family-run full-service business and offered the follow-through that was so important. She and Arvis were there to serve their customers from the first pickup, on through internment. They prepared the body, arranged the viewing, ordered the flowers, provided free sign-in books, had a minister, a soprano, and an organist on twenty-four-hour call. They offered a His and Her two-for-one burial package and had a large selection of caskets and cremation urns at reasonable prices. They supplied a 10 percent discount on extra rooms at the local Days Inn for out-of-town relatives and friends, including a free continental breakfast on the day of the funeral and complimentary wine and cheese in the lobby that afternoon. They even arranged transportation to and from the cemetery and helped order and measure and place the headstones when they arrived. “What more could you want in a funeral package?” she wondered. Other than not having your loved one die in the first place, of course. Short of that, they did everything that was possible to have done. In fact, their ad in the telephone book, which she had spent weeks creating, reflected her sentiments exactly.
THE REST ASSURED FUNERAL HOME
Come to us in your time of need.
And be rest assured of receiving
The very best in funeral care
Because we care about you.
The phone in the mortuary office rang again. This time it was Merle’s wife, Verbena Wheeler, calling from the cleaners two blocks away.
“Neva, did you hear?”
“Yes, Tot just called. I just pulled her file.”
“Isn’t it horrible?”
“Terrible.”
“She was the sweetest thing.”
“She was.”
“It’s hard to believe, isn’t it?”
“It is.”
“Ruby said she probably never knew what hit her.”
“That’s what Tot told me. At least she didn’t suffer.”
“That’s right.”
“We can be thankful for that at least.”
“Yes we can.”
“Anyhow, I thought I’d go ahead and get my flower order in early and beat the rush.”
“That’s probably a good idea.” Neva reached over for her floral order pad. “What do you want to send?”
“The usual, I guess.”
Neva wrote down “One medium azalea plant in ceramic pot.”
Verbena always sent a plant rather than flowers. She felt it could work at the viewing and again at the funeral, or be planted at the grave later on. She liked to give people options, like starch or no starch, or hangers or boxed.
“Same message?” asked Neva. “‘With our deepest sympathy, Merle and Verbena’?”
“Yes, might as well, I can never think of anything else to say other than that, can you?”
“No, that says it all.”
“I know Norma is sure going to miss her.”
“You know she will.”
“No matter how old they are when they go, or what shape they’re in, you always miss them. I remember how it was for me when we lost Momma Ditty, and then poor old Daddy Ditty in the same year.”
“Yes.”
“And then Aunt Dottie Ditty went the year after that, do you remember?”
“I do,” Neva said.
“We lost all three Dittys in less than two years, and I don’t think there is a day that goes by that I don’t miss them.”
“I’m sure.”
“When is the viewing?”
“I don’t know. Norma hasn’t called us yet, I don’t know when the body will be released. It could be as early as tonight or it could be tomorrow.”
Verbena sighed. “Well, I’ll see you over there…I just hate to have to get out that old funeral dress again, but that’s life, isn’t it?”
Neva hung up. She certainly remembered Verbena Wheeler’s aunt Dottie Ditty. How could she not? Dottie Ditty had been their most difficult decedent, and she and Arvis
THE REST ASSURED FUNERAL HOME
Come to us in your time of need.
And be rest assured of receiving
The very best in funeral care
Because we care about you.
The phone in the mortuary office rang again. This time it was Merle’s wife, Verbena Wheeler, calling from the cleaners two blocks away.
“Neva, did you hear?”
“Yes, Tot just called. I just pulled her file.”
“Isn’t it horrible?”
“Terrible.”
“She was the sweetest thing.”
“She was.”
“It’s hard to believe, isn’t it?”
“It is.”
“Ruby said she probably never knew what hit her.”
“That’s what Tot told me. At least she didn’t suffer.”
“That’s right.”
“We can be thankful for that at least.”
“Yes we can.”
“Anyhow, I thought I’d go ahead and get my flower order in early and beat the rush.”
“That’s probably a good idea.” Neva reached over for her floral order pad. “What do you want to send?”
“The usual, I guess.”
Neva wrote down “One medium azalea plant in ceramic pot.”
Verbena always sent a plant rather than flowers. She felt it could work at the viewing and again at the funeral, or be planted at the grave later on. She liked to give people options, like starch or no starch, or hangers or boxed.
“Same message?” asked Neva. “‘With our deepest sympathy, Merle and Verbena’?”
“Yes, might as well, I can never think of anything else to say other than that, can you?”
“No, that says it all.”
“I know Norma is sure going to miss her.”
“You know she will.”
“No matter how old they are when they go, or what shape they’re in, you always miss them. I remember how it was for me when we lost Momma Ditty, and then poor old Daddy Ditty in the same year.”
“Yes.”
“And then Aunt Dottie Ditty went the year after that, do you remember?”
“I do,” Neva said.
“We lost all three Dittys in less than two years, and I don’t think there is a day that goes by that I don’t miss them.”
“I’m sure.”
“When is the viewing?”
“I don’t know. Norma hasn’t called us yet, I don’t know when the body will be released. It could be as early as tonight or it could be tomorrow.”
Verbena sighed. “Well, I’ll see you over there…I just hate to have to get out that old funeral dress again, but that’s life, isn’t it?”
Neva hung up. She certainly remembered Verbena Wheeler’s aunt Dottie Ditty. How could she not? Dottie Ditty had been their most difficult decedent, and she and Arvis
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