The Accidental Florist

phone.
    “How’s my office coming along?“
    “Swell. But it won’t be ready for you until after the weddings, since the dates have been changed.“
    “I want to see it anyway. I’m starving. Can we eat at five?“
    “Of course.“
    She prepared a big salad with pomegranate juice. The recipe called for one cup of juice, one cup of balsamic vinegar, a half teaspoon of olive oil, and one small egg yolk to emulsify it. Shake thoroughly, the recipe said. She took a taste when it was done and almost gasped at how good it was.
    She also made deviled eggs, thin shaved ham, and brown mustard on egg rolls. She covered them with plastic wrap and would warm them up later. She invited
    Shelley and Paul to come to dinner, but Paul was out of town on business. “Can my kids come along?“
    “The more the merrier,“ Jane said. “I just bought more food than Todd and I can eat before it spoils. By the way, Thelma died in the nursing home today. I didn’t want to tell you in front of the children. But I need to tell Todd as soon as he comes home from his summer class.“
    “Will he be upset?“ Shelley asked.
    “Probably not. I’ll tell you why if you want to come over for a glass of raspberry-flavored iced tea.“
    Shelley agreed with Jane and Ted that Thelma had fought to the end. “She wasn’t a nice woman. Do you suppose she ever was?“
    “Well, she raised one good son. And another who wasn’t.“
    On Wednesday, Jane insisted on driving Ted to the cemetery. “If I drive, I can rescue you from the church ladies. How did the company memorial service go yesterday?“
    “Very well. My mother had written out a will about twelve years ago, at my insistence. She gave a gift of five hundred dollars to each manager of the pharmacies. Of course there were only four of them at that time, and now there are twelve. So everybody was happy.“
    “Would you be comfortable telling me about the rest of the bequests?“ Jane asked.
    “Of course. Since it’s not a trust, it’s not private. She gave the church a thousand dollars, and her third share of the profits to me. Since she never expected us to adopt children, there was no per stirpes mentioned. So our girls will inherit my share.“
    “Ted, I’m so relieved to hear that. Especially since she had wills in mind and tried to forge an amendment to Steve’s. And it’s much, much better that your lovely little girls will have a good financial future someday.“
    When they drove into the driveway to the cemetery, it was almost blocked with cars. The members of the church Thelma belonged to had turned out in droves. That would have pleased Thelma. As Jane pulled into the remaining parking area, she realized they’d been followed through the gates by the black cars of the funeral establishment.
    She’d always thought the procession of these cars was touching and dignified. She and Ted walked over to the grave site that Ted’s father Elmer had bought decades ago for the whole family. There were rows of chairs set up around a deep grave that was covered with a white cloth.
    She noticed that the other people were almost entirely elderly women. Many of them as hard-faced and tough as Thelma. There was a scattered group of old men, mostly with walkers or in wheelchairs. There were also a few very short, tiny old women with dowager humps. They hadn’t had access to drugs that kept their spines from collapsing.
    The service was relatively short. Many cloth handkerchiefs were raised to the ladies’ faces. There were a huge number of floral tributes set around the sides of the grave. When the coffin was lowered, Jane glanced at Ted. His face showed no emotion whatsoever. He clearly wasn’t grief stricken, but not showing what was probably a sense of relief either.
    After the service, some of the stronger ladies took along a few of the floral tributes saying they’d look so good at the church. Most of them approached Ted, expressing their sympathy, which he accepted with grace. The last two to speak to him were two of the tougher women, one of whom said, “We’re going back to church for a meal made for the mourners. You will be attending, won’t you, Mr. Jeffry?“
    “I’m afraid I can’t. I’m meeting with our attorney this afternoon to sort out the donations my mother specified. There is one for the church, I’m glad to say.“
    “How nice of your mother. When will we know how much?“
    “Soon,“ Ted said.
    Another of the tiny ladies then came and took Ted’s