“As soon as we’re done here, I’m taking all three of you back to school.”
“Yes, ma’am,” they all said.
“Xeni, this is my granddaughter, Sydney. My son, Christopher’s, daughter. Her friends, Mari Vargas and Emma Chen. Say hello to Ms. Sable’s niece.”
“Hi,” they all said.
“Nice to meet you,” Xeni replied, mustering another smile. “It’s been nice meeting all of you.”
Reverend Pummel stepped forward then and the moment he cleared his throat, the distractions from the late arrivals faded away. They were all gathered by the stream for a reason. Though her hands were sweating, Xeni gripped the small gold jar tightly.
“When our friend Sable told me what she wanted today, she made herself very clear. She told me to keep it short and sweet,” the Reverend said. “She asked that we all say one nice thing about her before we send her on her way.” Xeni tried not to laugh, but a little snort managed to escape. All their disagreements aside, the Everly women had one thing in common: they loved constant, over-the-top praise.
“She asked that Mason play one song and that we truly say goodbye. Again, her words, she didn’t want any of us hanging on to any ole bullshit. She didn’t have time to haunt anybody. She was too damn tired.”
Xeni choked, a burst of laughter sputtering out of her, bringing a couple of fat tears with it. A few of the others joined her, trying to chuckle under their breath. She hadn’t had the cathartic cry she needed yet, the true release, but from time to time, a few tears would escape on reflex.
“Who would like to go first?” the reverend asked.
Lucy Pummel spoke up. “Ooh, there’s a lot I could say, but I think most importantly, Sable taught me that I am never too old to make new friends.”
“She’s been there for us ever since my dad died. Like, she’s been a really good friend to my grandma. And she taught me how to drive. She didn’t yell at me once, even when I almost crashed her car. She—yeah. Ms. Everly was the best,” Sydney said.
“I think, maybe, she filled that void for all of us. She collected wayward souls in need of her warming glow,” Liz added, tears lining her eyes. “Some of you know I lost my parents way too soon. Then I moved here and thought Maya and Silas were the only Brown faces for two hundred miles, but Miss Sable, and Mrs. Pummel, Bess, Mrs. Chen, Maya. You let me in to your little coven. You were all there for me through two pregnancies and I’m so sad that she won't be here to meet this little.”
“She helped me come out to my mom,” Maya said. Xeni watched as she reached over and gave Bess’s hand a squeeze. “I’m going to miss her courage and the way she shared that courage around. God knows she had more than enough to share with all of us.”
Bess smiled at her daughter, then let her gaze drift back to the ground. “She cheated at cards and had the audacity to be offended whenever she got caught. And every time it made me laugh. I will miss laughing with her every day.”
Mason took a step forward then and adjusted the bagpipes in the crook of his arm. “The day before she passed, she told me I was single because I refused to shave my neck.” More laughter erupted around their tight circle. Even through his thick accent, Mason was able to convey her aunt’s blunt delivery. “I thought it was my numerous attempts to prove myself as an amateur magician. I’m not one that thrives on insults, but Ms. Everly just wanted the best for me. She wanted me to be happy. She didn’t want that for just anybody.”
“No, she didn’t,” Bess said through a tearful smile.
Xeni shook her head in agreement. Her aunt hated a lot of people.
“I was shaving my neck for her approval when I got the call from Maya here. I’m sure if Ms. Everly were still with us, she would have me turn my head this way and that. Tell me to crouch down. ‘Couldn’t expect someone at sea level to examine the top of a mountain.’ And then she’d tell me I did a good job and now I just needed to work on my wardrobe. She wanted me to be my best me and I am grateful for that. Also, one time I was there to witness her calling Marle Langsby an ashy-lipped demon who was filled with nothing but hate,” Mason chuckled a bit. “You have to admire a woman who speaks her mind.”
It was Xeni’s turn then. She’d had more than enough time to find the words to join this parting chorus. So many things ran through her mind. How much her aunt had meant to her, the things her aunt had done for her, how complicated her aunts and her mother had made her life with their constant fighting, just how much she’d miss her. But Xeni kept all those things to herself, like she had done for most of her life. She swallowed the lump in her throat and said what she knew this particular group of people needed to hear.
“I want to thank you all for being here. I come from a family of singers, actors, public speakers, community organizers, and one thing I think we’ve perfected is the show. Everlys know how to perform and command a crowd, and my aunt was no exception. But I think when you’re so good at being on, a lot of people don’t get a chance to know the real you. My aunt was very intentional when it came to who she let into her life and how. It makes me very happy to know that she had you all and that she loved you all enough to let you in. As she would say, to be loved by Sable Everly was to be truly blessed.”
“Amen,” Lucy said.
“She lived an amazing life and all I want for her now is rest and joy.” Heat rushed up Xeni’s neck with the sudden, panicked realization that she’d been putting off for nearly three weeks. Her aunt was gone.
She didn’t wait for Reverend Pummel’s cue or whatever music Mason was going to play. She used the little bit of energy and composure she had left and slowly made her way to the very edge of the stream. She thought about the finality of it all. There was nothing anyone could do or say. No magic trick, no spell at the height of the new moon. No affirmation. Sable Everly had passed on and it was time for Xeni to let her go.
Xeni unscrewed the gold lid and carefully tipped the ashes into the swiftly flowing water. The small bits of grey and white and black were swallowed up and whisked away. Maybe they’d make their way out to sea, but Xeni hoped some forest creature like a deer or a bird that only sang in the early hours of the morning would drink them up and a piece of aunt Sable would live again.
She didn’t realize the ground was damp until she’d let her weight settle into the grass, and she couldn’t bring herself to care. She couldn’t be bothered with the small group of mourners who were watching her lose her shit. Xeni pulled her knees to her chest and then stared at the water. She wanted to cry, desperately needed to, but her body refused. Still, she needed just a moment to try and take it all in. She had about three seconds to pretend her pain was private before the unmistakable drone of bagpipe music rose behind her. Xeni had forgotten how fucking loud the bagpipes were. She closed her eyes against the sound and forced herself to breathe.
It was another ten seconds or so before Xeni realized what song he was playing. “Another One Bites the Dust” was a hilarious selection for a send off, but maybe not the most appropriate. Her head turned automatically. For some reason, she didn’t expect to see Mason looking back at her, his large brown eyes rimmed red. He continued to play even as she raised an eyebrow at him, questioning what exactly the fuck was going on, but all he did was shrug and roll his eyes, the sadness on his face disappearing for just a moment. Right. It wasn’t his song choice. He played about a quarter of the song Xeni hadn’t intentionally listened to since she was gifted Jock Jams on CD before shifting with shocking ease to “Let You Go.”
Xeni squeezed her eyes shut as the air left her lungs. She could hear her mom plain as day singing that song while she worked in the kitchen. Her Aunt Alice belting it out at a family reunion. She remembered the exact look on her Aunt Sable’s face when she found the notebook that contained her original lyrics. A love so strong, lost forever. The first hit that had landed the Everly Sisters at the top of the charts. They’d never sing it together again.
Mason played the final notes as Xeni continued to watch the flowing water, her breathing struggling to even out. She heard the sounds of footsteps heading back down the wooded path. After a while, she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. She turned and looked up at the kind and patient expression on Bess Thompson’s face.
“This is your place, for as long as you need it. Okay?”
