“What’s the point of a living funeral anyway?” he said. “It doesn’t make any sense.”
I stepped closer to him.
“Maybe what doesn’t make sense is having a funeral when you’re dead,” I said.
“Give me a break, Tess.”
“Seriously. Think about it for a second. Why have a party when you aren’t going to be there to enjoy it? What sense does that make? You wouldn’t have a birthday party andnotgo?
My dad got in the car then and sat behind the wheel.
“C’mon,” he said. “We’re leaving. This was a disaster.”
I opened the door. He went to turn on the ignition, but I grabbed his hand.
“I mean it, Dad,” I said. “Maybe she wants to have a celebration when she can actually see everyone she loves one last time? Mamie’s not dead yet, but she’s dying. She’s losing the personality that she once had. That’s a form of dying, anyway. And she knows it’s happening. Why can’t she celebrate the person she was before she’s gone completely?”
My dad just sat there a minute, gripping the wheel. He tightened his lips.
“What if her family shows up and says I’m taking advantage of an impaired woman? Meanwhile, there are naked people dancing everywhere. That could be bad, Tess. I can’t risk another lawsuit after Nantucket.”
I looked at his face. It seemed like he was actually scared.
“You were all gung-ho this morning,” I said. “What happened? When did you become such a pansy?”
“I’m done talking about this.”
“Just let me meet with her again,” I said.
He shook his head slowly, but he didn’t look at me.
“She wants something outside the norm,” I said. “Isn’t that what we’re in business to do?”
I waited for his answer, but it didn’t come. He just started the car and drove us away without looking back.
¦¦¦
My phone rang later that night.
I was up watching old-timey burlesque dancers on the Internet, which definitely beat my dad’sPlayboys when it came to vintage porn. These women were bosses. There were no airbrushed nipples and cutesy little girl poses. The burlesque ladies shook and shimmied in spectacular clubs full of men in sharp suits. It seemed impossible that Mamie used to do this.
I picked up the phone.
“Was it that bad?”
Daniel’s voice was sharper than usual.
“What?” I said.
He sighed.
“Tess, it’s a little weird to send someone a naked picture and then not hear from them for an entire day.”
“You must be crushed,” I said. “Do you feel betrayed? Like you put yourself out there and got nothing back?”
“I see what you’re doing,” he said.
I looked away from the computer and listened for Daniel’s breath.
