Cannot Wait to Get to Heaven - Fannie Flagg [22]
“She did. She loved her birds.”
Tot looked around the room with all the pictures of insects and flowers taped up on the wall. “I wonder if Norma will keep the house or sell it or what?”
“I imagine they’ll sell it.”
Suddenly Tot burst into tears. “It’s hard to believe she’s not coming right back. Isn’t life the strangest thing, one minute you’re picking figs and the next minute you’re dead. It’s enough to make you not want to get up in the morning.” She blotted her eyes with a tea towel. Growing up in a close-knit small town, she had been through this kind of thing many times before, but it was still sad to see it happen. When someone old dies, it is even sadder. First you notice that the paper doesn’t come anymore, then gradually the lights are turned out, the gas turned off, the house gets locked up, and the yard is no longer kept up, then it goes on the market and new people come in and change everything.
Elner’s phone rang, and they both looked at each other. “This could be Norma calling,” Ruby said, and walked over and answered it. “Hello.”
The voice on the other end said, “Elner?”
“No, this is Ruby, who’s this?”
“It’s Irene. What are you gals up to this morning?”
“Oh, Irene, hold on a minute, will you?” Ruby put her hand over the receiver and whispered to Tot, “It’s Irene Goodnight, do you want me to tell her or do you want to do it?” Tot was on the Elmwood Springs ladies bowling team with Irene, and said, “I’ll do it,” and took the phone from Ruby.
“Irene, it’s Tot.”
“Well, hey, what are you girls doing over there, having a party?”
“No, not really.”
“Well, I won’t bother you, but tell Elner to call me later, will you? I found some old National Geographic magazines she may want.”
“Irene, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Elner’s dead.”
“What?”
“Elner is dead.”
“You’re kidding me, right?”
“No, honey, I’m as serious as a heart attack. She got hit by wasps, and fell out of her tree and killed herself.”
“What…When?”
“Not more than an hour and a half ago.”
Irene had been cleaning out her basement all morning and had not heard the siren go through town, or even been aware of Elner’s fall, so this news was like a bolt out of the blue. “Well,” she sputtered, “I’m just—I’m just…stunned.”
“Oh, honey, we all are,” said Tot. “After we finish straightening up the house, I’m going home and get in bed. I feel like I’ve been hit by a ten-ton truck.”
Irene sat down on her bed and looked out the window toward Elner’s house. “Well, I’m just stunned…Where is she?”
“In the hospital in Kansas City. Norma and Macky are over there with her.”
“Oh. Poor Norma, you know she is going to take this hard.”
“You know she is…I just hope they are giving her something for her nerves.”
Irene agreed, “I hope so too…. well…what’s going to happen now?”
“I don’t have any of the details yet, but I’ll keep you posted.”
After she hung up, Tot walked over and sat back down. “She’s all broken up, could hardly talk.”
Ruby said, “Well, I guess we should start making a list of all the people we need to call and let them know, save Norma the trouble.”
“You’re right, you know she’s going to be busy making all the arrangements, that will be one less thing she will have to worry about. I guess Dena and Gerry will come in from California, don’t you think?”
“Oh, I’m sure, it will be nice to see them again, although…I wish it could be under better circumstances,” said Ruby.
“Yes, I do too, I wonder when the funeral will be.”
“In the next couple of days, I would imagine.”
Tot looked at Ruby. “I’m so sick of going to funerals I don’t know what to do.”
Ruby, who was a little older than Tot, sighed. “When you get to be my age, all the different weddings, christenings, funerals, start to blend together. You get used to it after a while.”
“Not me,” said Tot. “I don’t ever want to get used to it.” She turned and looked out the kitchen window at the puffy white clouds in the blue sky, and spoke. “And it’s such a pretty day too.”
Irene Goodnight
11:20 AM
After