34. Talitha #2
“I’mma miss you so much baby. You’re free Gema.” My voice cracked. “I love you so much.” Laying one last kiss on her forehead, I gathered my things and walked out of her room. I’d made peace with the situation last night. I wanted uninterrupted time with her and I’d gotten that.
“You ready?” Law asked when I rounded the corner.
“I am.” Turning to her medical team, I stuffed my hands in the pockets of my sweats.
“I’ve signed off on the documents, I don’t need to hear the whole spill.
If you must then tell it to the rest of them when they show up.
If they want to stay here and watch it happen that’s fine with me.
The funeral home will be here at five this evening to retrieve the body.
Thank you so much for all that you’ve done to assist me in her transition. ”
“You’re welcome Ms. Howard, and we’re truly sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you.” I tipped my head at them and turned to walk away.
* * *
While I handled my business out here, Law went back to Atlanta to grab clothes for me and Mrs. Jessie. I’d told him I planned on being here long enough to settle the will and close out her accounts and everything.
I also needed to sit down with the rest of them and planned on doing so before Meat got ghost again.
Because me and Gema had already set everything up and was just waiting for the time to come, it took no time for us to set a date for the funeral.
After finalizing everything, the date had finally come and instead of riding in the limo with the rest of the family, I’d chose to let Baker escort Mrs. Jessie and me.
Standing in the bathroom mirror, I put the finishing touches on my makeup. Gema service was at noon and it was nearing eleven o’clock.
Out of all of the things I could’ve felt today, numb was at the top of the list. Numb because today would be the last day I got to see my best friend in the physical. All I would have left were memories of what used to be.
I don’t remember it being this hard when we buried Papa Joe, probably because Gema was by my side and also because I had to keep my emotions in check because she had lost her life partner.
Mrs. Jessie and Law being here had helped me a great deal, but I would be lying if I said I couldn’t tell that something was missing. The day I had the plug pulled on Gema, my mama called herself trying to check me about not being there.
After I cursed her the fuck out and told her I’d already spent my time with Gema, I blocked her from my phone.
The last thing tying me to her was getting ready to be lowered into the ground by her husband and I was officially done being nice.
After I got the business side of things squared away, I was done with everyone down here. They wouldn’t hear from me, nor would they ever see me again. Not even Betty Jo flip flopping ass, and I meant that shit.
Peeking her head through the door, Mrs. Jessie asked, “Tali, are you ready?”
Sucking in a deep breath, I pushed out, “I guess.”
Sweeping the hair out of my face, Mrs. Jessie stared at me through the mirror and smiled.
“Talitha, you have the strength of a lion. You can do this and anything that God throws your way. You were handpicked for this. Bertha knew you would rise in the midst of controversy. Don’t look at it as you saying goodbye to her.
Think of it more as her finally getting peace cause Lord knows she’s been fighting hell trying to keep the peace between you and those kids of hers. ”
“Thank you Mrs. Jessie.”
“You’re welcome darling. There’s a certain someone sitting out there that’s waiting on you. Don’t push him away Tali. Believe me when I say, now is the time you’re going to need him the most. Let him be here for you, let him love you. It’s what Bertha would’ve wanted,” she affirmed.
Turning away from the mirror, I wrapped my arms around her. “I’m going to miss her so much,” I cried.
“We all are,” she breathed and ran her hands up and down my back. “Pull it together. We gotta go see our girl off.”
“Yes we do,” I confirmed.
Hand in hand, Mrs. Jessie and I walked out of the bathroom. When we made it to the front of the suite, Law was sitting on the couch with his legs shoulder width apart. Motioning for me with his hands leaned up. When I was in close range, he grabbed my hand and pulled me down into his lap.
Nestling his head in the crease of my neck, he placed a subtle kiss there before whispering in my ear. “To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.”
“Amen,” I recited. Law passed me a pair of black Gucci frames for me to put on and patted my leg for me to stand. After helping me into my blazer, he checked me out from head to toe. Satisfied with my appearance, he grabbed my hand and escorted me out of the room.
* * *
“The procession was nice Tali. You and Mama did a good job,” Betty Jo acknowledged as she took the seat next to me at the table.
“That was all Gema’s doing. All I did was sign off on everything and make sure the money was paid.” I shrugged.