Blue Moon of Kentucky

Chapter 43

The following day dawned crisp and cold. Hazy light drenched the lawn in front of the apartment complex, where two figures stood. Those figures happened to be Vernon and Gladys, who would follow Elvis and Loretta to the funeral home. Gladys insisted and Elvis was incapable of saying no to his mother while Loretta was in no condition to argue.

Loretta wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to keep the chill from her bones. She took in a sharp breath of air as the feeling of loss penetrated her entire body. Her gaze moved to the window of Vernon, Gladys, and Minnie Mae's apartment, to the window where Erin Love pressed her little face and hands against the glass.

What was going on in her little head? Her sweet baby, who seemed to sense who liked her and who did not, had to be intuitive enough to know that her mother was sad. Yet she couldn't make sense of what was going on.

"Loretta?" Elvis placed a gentle hand on her arm. "Come on, let's go."

Loretta sat in the front seat, beside Elvis, with her head pressed against the window. No one spoke and Elvis didn't even turn on the radio.

Mr. Hayward, the funeral director, a stout little man with thinning hair, welcomed them and asked a few polite questions about who was related to whom. To his credit, he did not even blink when Gladys proclaimed that she was the mother-in-law of Ted Webb's oldest daughter.

There were nine of them, Clara, Vernon and Gladys, Loretta and Elvis and all of the Webb boys. Her two oldest brothers did not bring their wives, who stayed at home with their younger children. Her sisters either stayed home or went to school. Loretta imagined that they might have wanted to come, Peggy Sue in particular.

"This is a very nice suit," Mr. Hayward said when Clara handed him the outfit she selected for Ted. But it wasn't, even though it was the best suit he owned.

Clara spoke in a somber voice. "I have some things that my young daughters would like for him to have. My eight-year-old drew a picture and... " She trailed off with a sigh.

"We'll be glad to put these in the coffin with him, Mrs. Webb."

Clara gave a solemn nod before turning to Elvis. "Elvis." Elvis raised his gaze to meet hers. "I'd like to ask you to sing at the funeral for us. My own wouldn't be able to, I don't think, and Ted always liked your singin' real well."

Elvis sat up a little straighter. "I'd be honored to, Clary."

Mr. Hayward jotted down a few notes. "Do you want to have an open casket funeral or not?"

Gladys swallowed at the suggestion of an open casket funeral. Loretta's knotted her hands together in her lap and looked at Gladys, hoping to telepathically tell her to remain silent.

"We can't have no open casket," Clara said. "You gotta get him all the way up there."

"We can open it again when we get there," Mr. Hayward assured her.

Melvin Junior said, "I think open casket is pretty grotesque. I don't want my kids lookin' at their dead grandfather."

Clara pressed her lips together. "As I said, it ain't gonna be no open casket."

"He's got a point, so you don't gotta snap at him," Herman said. "A funeral's upsetting enough for a little kid."

Loretta's lips remained parted but no sound came out. She felt the prick of tears, swallowed hard. She shuddered and Elvis reached out to put the tips of his fingers on top of her hands.

"We don't gotta fight," Elvis said in his deep, gentle voice. "She already said it's not gonna be an open casket."

"Well, would you want Erin Love to see it?" Melvin Junior demanded.