“And something to soak it up,” Hollis added quietly.
Caleb and his family reemerged, the four of them rosy-cheeked and holding hands.
We all took turns telling stories about Leonard. Hollis shared about the time she and Leonard were on set in West Texas and went to a local bar and pretended to be rodeo workers. Caleb and his wife talked about their wedding and how Leonard had hired a barbershop quartet to surprise them but didn’t realize that the singers were also dancers... of the adult variety.
Eli mentioned the time Leonard called the resident emergency number and requested a house call... for his bird.
Ruby told everyone about the time Leonard had rescued her from a meeting with a handsy producer at his house. Not only did Leonard swoop in to save her, but he also brought a dozen eggs and on their way out he tucked them under the driver’s seat of the producer’s unnecessarily fancy car.
I told the story of meeting Leonard and how he convinced me to list a coffin for sale on Facebook. Caleb laughed so hard he cried. And the girls laughed along too just to be in on the fun.
And then that was it. The soil was spread and our memories were shared.
“Before we head over to the restaurant, I have a letter from Leonard. His lawyer said he wanted me to read it at a gathering of his loved ones, so I guess—” Ruby stopped abruptly, collecting herself for a moment as Hollis rubbed a circle across her back.
Ruby nodded and unfolded the letter. “‘You didn’t think you’d heard the last of me, did you?’”
We all laughed and I wiped away stray tears.
“‘I might have had my living funeral, but that was just the dressrehearsal. This is opening and closing night all in one. Now, if you followed my instructions, you’re at the top of the tramway with dirt that I made myself. Free-trade, organic Leonard dirt.’”
There were a few more chuckles as a warm hand wrapped around mine. I looked down to see my and Eli’s joined hands and then up at him, but his gaze was straight ahead on Ruby.
“‘If I’m right and I died of natural causes at the ripe old age of eighty-four, then my death came as no surprise. In fact, most would say that you couldn’t ask for anything more in terms of a grand exit, and I think I’d have to agree. I wasn’t stolen away in my youth. I’m one of the lucky ones.’”
Ruby took a deep breath, and I wondered if she was thinking about how long of a future she and Hollis had to look forward to. Then she stepped toward me and held the letter out. “Read the rest for me, would you?”
I nodded and held the letter in my free hand. Eli didn’t make any motion to let go and sharing this physical contact with him felt like he was holding my actual heart in his hand.
“‘I’m sure some of you are surprised to see my decades of funeral planning be set aside, but as I felt my body drawing closer to the end, I looked for hope. And in searching for that hope, I settled on this: Death cannot exist without life. It’s a lesson I learned as a young writer. There were many times when I had to go through the pain of writing things that would never get any camera time or even be read by anyone besides myself. But all the drafts and wasted pages existed so that other work could be created and shared. And my greatest hope is that my life follows that same path.’”
I saw the next few words before I said them out loud, and there was no hiding my choked sob.
Eli squeezed my hand once. Twice. In time with the beating of my heart.
I took three deep breaths and continued. “‘Like the soil you’ve spread, it would be my greatest honor for my death to create new life.’” I folded the letter back up. “‘All my love, Leonard.’”
Hollis shook her head and dabbed under her eyes with a knuckle. “He just had to make us all cry one last time.”
Ruby laughed and leaned her head against Hollis’s shoulder. “He always did bring the drama.”
And if Leonard had a headstone, those are the words that we’d engrave on it.
INT. ART MUSEUM—DAY
It’s winter. Everything is gray and cold. Not a tourist in sight. Poppy misses Arlo every day, and she’s tired of living without him. She parks her car illegally and then runs past the ticket stand into the museum, searching for Arlo. He is working as a security guard now. She finds him in the Impressionist room. Their eyes meet. They are drawn together.
POPPY
I didn’t write a speech. But I’m here.
ARLO
(smirking)
You’re late.
POPPY
