"ANNIE!" Tony bellowed. "ANNIE!
HEAVEN! OH, HEAVEN, NO . . ."
Fanny shut the door behind us to close off his
horrible cry. I put my hands over my ears. Luke used
the ramp to get me to the awaiting car.
"You kin sit up front if ya want to, Annie." "I want to," I said.
Luke opened the door and then lifted me from
the chair. I rested my head against his chest as he put
me ever so gently onto the seat.
"Might as well take this wheelchair along,
Luke. No sense in lettin' it rot away with everythin'
else here."
Luke folded it and placed it in the car trunk.
Aunt Fanny got into the backseat and Luke got behind
the steering wheel.
Luke headed the car down the driveway. "Luke, Aunt Fanny, before we go, I'd like to
stop at the monument. Please."
"Of course, Annie."
Luke made the turn and drove to the Tatterton
family cemetery. He brought the car as close to the
monument as he could and I looked out my window.
Night had fallen, but the moon cast enough of its
yellow illumination over the cemetery for me to see. "Good-bye for now, Mommy and Daddy. Rest
in peace. Someday soon I'll return and walk to your
monument."
"You surely will," Aunt Fanny said, and patted
me on the shoulder.
Luke squeezed my hand. I turned to him to soak
in the warmth and the love in his smile.
"Let's go home, Luke," I said.