Page 34 of Shake Your Boo Thang

“Alistair,” he finally says.

“What are you doing here, Alistair? Why haven’t you moved on?”

He looks down at the floor. “I need to watch over her.”

“You mean Miz Edna?”

He nods.

“Why?”

“She needs me. She’s all alone now. I promised I’d look after her…” His expression twists with pain. “But then I couldn’t.”

“It’s okay to feel sad about not being able to stay and watch over her. But I’m sure if you mean as much to her as she seems to mean to you, she’d want you to move on and not linger here for her sake. If you look closely enough, you’ll see it, the place where you’re supposed to go.”

He scowls at me and disappears.

I sigh to myself. I can’t force him to move on, but for Miz Edna’s sake, I want to help him. But I can only do that if and when he’s ready.

Yawning, I text Mama real quick to let her know I’m alive and we’ll talk soon, then I get undressed and crawl into bed for a little afternoon nap.

When I rouse myself two hours later, I decide to freshen up with a nice, hot shower and a cup of instant coffee that I make in my room. Then I prepare to get dressed. I’m not quite sure where Callum’s taking me this evening, but I opt for a pair of dark gray pants, a deep purple dress shirt, black suspenders, and a gold sequined bow tie that Mama gave me for Christmas.

I think Miz Dolly Parton would approve.

It’s a little ostentatious, but I like it. And I feel like my first date with Callum Fraser is an occasion that warrants a little special sparkle to mark the occasion.

I’m just coming down the stairs when I hear Miz Edna let Callum into the front parlor.

“You must be Beau’s date for tonight.”

“That’s right. I’m Callum Fraser.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Edna White.”

“You run this place all by yourself?”

I pause to listen at the threshold of the room.

Miz Edna’s tone saddens a little. “I do now. My husband, William, and I ran this place together at first, but he passed away twenty years ago.”

“I’m so sorry,” Cal says.

“It was a heart attack. My one consolation is that it was fast. He didn’t suffer for long. He didn’t linger…” She trails off. “Not like my son.”

A chill goes down my spine. I think I know who Alistair is now.

I move into the room quietly and join her on the couch. “I’m sorry for eavesdropping a bit and I’m so sorry for your loss, Miz Edna. May I ask what happened?”

She pulls out a handkerchief and dabs at her eyes. “Leukemia. We tried all sorts of treatments, but they didn’t take in the end. Some folks told me to put him into a hospice center, but Alistair wanted to come home with me. And I wasn’t gonna let my baby spend his last days in a place like that. So we came home. I was able to get him some good in-home hospice care, and we kept him as comfortable as we could. Then, after three months, he passed away in his sleep one night.”

“I’m so sorry. Truly.”

She pats my hand. “Thank you, dear. It’s been nearly ten years now. I can’t say the grief ever goes away. A parent shouldn’t outlive their child, but Alistair was just like my William. They both wanted me to be happy and enjoy my life, even if they weren’t here with me. So I’ve done my best to honor their wishes.” She wipes at tears again and blows her nose. “I’m sorry for being a bit of a leaky faucet today.”

“Your grief is completely understandable. You’ll get no judgment from me. I’m sure your son loved you very much and appreciated all that you did for him, especially at the end.”

“Alistair was a good lad,” she says.