Epilogue
Nora stops by her grandpa’s house on the way home from work to give him an extra bag of soil she didn’t need for her garden. Really, this is just an excuse for her to check on him, and they both know it.
Nora and Garrett have almost redone the whole garden in Nora’s backyard. They’ve gotten rid of all the weeds and solidified the border around it. They’re going to have food and flowers year-round if she has her way, and Garrett usually lets her have her way. He’s all but moved into her house, so they’ve been making a lot of changes together, and she’s gearing up to redecorate her parents’ bedroom. She and Garrett need more space if he’s ever going to live there for real, and using only part of the house doesn’t make sense. She thinks her parents would be happy that she’s finally making the house into a place she wants to live.
She’s keeping the store, too. Honestly, it’s making money. It’s a good financial decision. Nora keeps asking Garrett if he’s bringing her business by being in the area, and he usually rolls his eyes. Really, the increase in clients is because she started social media accounts and created a functional website. She also used her degree for once and got the store’s finances in order.
Johnny comes by from time to time; they’re back to being friends one day and enemies the next. His new girlfriend looks like a swimsuit model, so Nora is sure he’s happy with how things turned out.
Nora drops the bag of soil in the garage and finds Grandpa and Joe drinking coffee on the back porch. Her grandpa and Joe had worked at the same company for a while, until Grandpa retired. Once Joe reached retirement age, they started spending considerable time on each other’s porches.
“Is the baby here yet?” she asks. Joe’s about to be a grandfather again.
“Nope, we’re still waiting. How’s that man you got?”
“He’s good,” she says. “Working late.”
“Y’all ain’t got no babies planned yet?”
She puts a hand to her chest. “Don’t even joke.”
Grandpa smiles. “I think we could handle a baby, Eleanora.”
“I don’t know about that.”
“We handled you, didn’t we?” Joe asks.
“I’m not sure I’m the example we want to set.”
They’ve just started in on the community happenings when someone rings the doorbell, and no one in Rabbittown rings doorbells.
“Are you expecting someone?” Nora asks.
Grandpa moves to get up, but Nora raises a hand to stop him. “I’ll get it.”
When she opens the front door, Garrett is standing on the welcome mat. He’s wearing a dark blue suit and dark blue tie, which sticks out like a sore thumb in this neck of the woods. Nora keeps telling him this, but he can’t imagine looking any less than professional.
“Hey,” she says, but it comes out like a question. “I thought you were working.”
He nods. “I came to see your grandpa.”
“Come on in,” Grandpa calls from behind her. “You’re right on time.”
“Right on time for what?” Nora asks. Garrett kisses her cheek as he steps inside the house. Joe joins them in the kitchen, and they all crowd around the kitchen table. She looks at her grandpa and then at Garrett, waiting for one of them to say something.
“Well, Eleanora,” her grandpa begins. “I guess it’s time we had a talk.”
“What kind of talk?” One glance at Garrett’s solemn face answers her question. She had known this was coming, that eventually her grandpa’s name would wind up on Garrett’s list and she would have to face it.
“It’s my time,” Grandpa says. “Time to move on. I’ve gotta go see what your grandmother’s been getting up to.”
“No.” Nora steps toward her grandpa, and he takes her hand into his.
“There’s nothing to be done about it now. My heart isn’t what it used to be.”
“Your heart is fine.” She turns to Garrett. “You can fix this. This is a mistake.”
“There’s a time for everything,” Grandpa says. “A time to be born and a time to die. There’s nothing to be fixed. Garrett did what I asked.”
“What is he talking about?” she asks Garrett.
“I called your grandpa this morning,” he says. “When I found out.”
“And you just told him everything? Without even talking to me about it?”
“He didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know,” Grandpa says.
“You knew? How?” she asks, suddenly angry at everyone in the room. At everyone in the world.
“Nora,” Joe says gently from across the table, pressing pause on the swirl of feelings about to take over her whole body. “Your grandpa and I didn’t work at an insurance company.”
She takes a deep breath, unsure if she’s going to scream or faint as the truth settles into her bones.
Grandpa steps closer to her, squeezing her hand. “I wish I had told you earlier and explained everything, but none of that matters now. What matters is that we’re both taking a step forward. We’re both moving on. Together.”
Her breath comes out in a huff as a sob catches in her throat. “I’m not ready.”
He reaches forward to hug her, and she winds her arms around his neck, reminding him of the little girl she used to be. He had expected this to be the hardest thing he has ever done, to have to leave her behind like everyone else has. His own truth had settled in his bones as well: this is how it’s supposed to be. “You have the rest of your life ahead and good people who love you. You’re going to be fine.” He nods at Garrett and Joe. They had both promised to take care of her, and he had reminded them that she’s perfectly capable of taking care of herself. She’s a Clanton, after all.
“We’re not going to talk about that now,” Grandpa announces, handing Nora a handkerchief from his pocket. “Why don’t you come into the living room with me? I want to hear about your garden. We’ve got a few minutes yet.”
“You cannot be serious,” she says, wiping her eyes and blowing her nose.
“You might say I’m dead serious, Eleanora.”
“Grandpa!” She gapes at first, but she can’t help the laugh that escapes her.
She will remember this. This last bit of kindness as he spent his last moments caring for her. She will carry this with her, carry him with her, next to the others she lost over the years. She will remember the way they held each other’s hands until the very end. Her surprise when she realized he had purchased the brown casket from the showroom. The breeze that wound around her in the cemetery as she stood, wrapped in Garrett’s arms, and looked down at the fresh dirt.