"Do you know how much it will cost?"
"I have two hundred bucks."
"It might cost that."
I swallowed hard. "You deserve it."
"We have reservations for seven-thirty," I told Shannie.
"Brownback's Huh? When are you going to take me?" Shannie teased.
"As soon as I can drive," I replied.
***
After diner I bolted ahead of my parent's into the house. There was no sign of Shannie. Damn, she's good, I thought. Everything seemed untouched. My parent's bedroom door slightly ajar - as always. A quick peek inside their room told me that she hadn't any problems switching ashes. Grandfather's urn sat on my mother's dresser.
I phoned Shannie. "I couldn't slip out of the house," she replied.
"WHAT?" I cried.
"Serious. Diane was being a bitch. I couldn't get out of the house."
"Ah shit. A hundred-fifty bucks shot to hell. What are we going to do? She's burying them tomorrow. What are we going to do?"
"Don't worry about it," Shannie assured me.
"Don't worry about it? Stan's being committed to the kingdom of the worms and you're telling me not to worry. Jesus H. Christ, what are we going to do?" My thirty-dollar entrée protested in my stomach.
"I don't know about you but I have to make a mud pie," Shannie said.
"A mud pie? How can you be worried about a mud pie when, when… when your integrity is at stake?"
"My integrity is intact."
"Bullshit!" I protested. "You made a promise you couldn't keep."
"If you quit jumping to conclusions - I'll tell you what happened."
"I'm not jumping to conclusions," I protested.
"Geezus Pete, shut up and listen. I was going to say, I couldn't get out of the house. I called Count and he made the switch for us."
"Yes," I said. I tingled with relief.
Outside the weekday church regulars and my immediate family, the only other people who attended my Grandfather's mass were the Ortolan's and the Lightmans. The Miller's who were retired, were out of town.
Besides the priest, only brilliant sunshine and blustery wind accompanied my parent's and myself in Fernwood. After the graveside service, I told my parent's I'd walk home. I watched their car slip out of the cemetery before climbing a tree. Bear emerged from the converted church and piloted the backhoe towards Grandfather's grave. After filling it, Bear saluted Grandfather's tombstone and hopped on the front-loader.