Hello, Goodbye

Chapter Nine

Immediately there were kinks in Emersyn's plan. The graveyard did have a map of the grounds, but there were no names associated with the map. So they were going to have to cross-reference the list of names she'd printed out with the map, which was going to take a lot longer than originally planned. And it didn't take long for her to realize that most of the graves were so dirty and weathered that they were very difficult, if not impossible, to read. She made a mental note to look up how to clean gravestones, because she was sure there was a process that involved more than just a scrub brush and bleach water.

That night, after spending a few hours at the graveyard and only crossing off a handful of names on the map, she decided to look up how you clean graves. And she found that she was correct in her assessment. It took a very special kind of chemical cleaner, a brush with soft bristles, and a constant stream of water. Plus, she would have to get permission from the graveyard to clean the stones before she started. That part wouldn't be too hard. The groundskeeper had been friends with her grandpa, so she was sure she could get permission if she asked.

She ordered everything needed to clean the headstones online, and she ordered a ton of it. There were so many headstones they would have to clean. She planned on cleaning them while Zeke was working with Kiel, and then going through the names with him when he was finished. It would speed up the process for sure. Kiel probably wouldn't be too pleased. He was a big advocate of her getting a job. But she felt this was more important, at least for right now. She'd find a job eventually. There was no rush.

A few days went by when she received a large package on her front step full of brushes and the special chemicals for cleaning the stones. Once she got everything she needed together, she threw it in the back of her bike and rode over to the graveyard. Then she talked to the groundskeeper and told him what she wanted to do. He made her promise to be careful, and she swore that she would. She explained to him the process, and even showed him by test cleaning her own family's headstone. It wasn't that dirty yet, as it had just been updated a year ago. But he seemed pleased with how much research she'd put into the process, and even more so when he saw she was confident in it enough that she was willing to do it on her own family headstone. So he granted her permission.

And so her new spring/summer project began. Every morning she would wake up, take a hot shower (she would never take the hot water for granted again), do her hair and makeup, get dressed, eat some breakfast, and ride down to the graveyard. There she would begin cleaning the stones. And there was something so satisfying about it. About seeing something that someone cared so much about get so dirty, and then cleaning it for them so that it looked like new. They'd probably assume it was something the groundskeeper was doing, never knowing that it was being done by some random girl in the town who enjoyed taking pictures of the before and after.

A week into their project, as she was scrubbing the gravestones with Zeke, she was pleasantly surprised to find the new pastor of the church had come out to greet them. Gabriel Henry was a young man in his early thirties, with thick curly black hair and smooth chestnut colored skin. His dark brown eyes were glittering when he approached, and she gave him a friendly smile and wave as she got to her feet. He stretched his arms out wide and said, "Emersyn Collins. My word, when my momma told me you had come back to the island, well, I was shocked. But it's great to see you."

She grinned as he placed both hands on her shoulders. "Hello, Gabe. I mean... Pastor Henry," she said, quickly correcting herself. It was hard, being so formal with him. She'd spent a lot of time with him in the choir when she was a kid, and he'd always been so nice to her and her friends. He even helped tutor her in math when she was ten years old and struggling to understand PEMDAS. "It's great to see you."

He shook his head and waved his hand. "You don't have to be so formal with me, Em. Gabe works fine. I heard you were spending a lot of time out in the graveyard lately. Doing some cleaning?" He gestured to the bucket filled with water and brushes behind her. She nodded her head, and he grinned. "Well, that's mighty kind of you. Your grandpa would've loved that. How have you been? Will I be seeing you on Sunday?"