The Best of Everything

by Kimberla Lawson Roby

  Now, she was in the car, turning the ignition, but for some reason, her car wouldn’t start. She turned the ignition again. And again and still nothing happened. It made no sound at all, and all she could hear was a slight click. She didn’t know a lot about cars, but she did know that if there was no sound, there was probably something wrong with her battery or there was some sort of electrical problem. So, she sat there for a minute, trying to figure out what she should do next because there was no way she could call Phillip and tell him where she was stranded.

  She sat for another couple of minutes and then opened the glove compartment. She pulled out the thick leather case, pulled out the service card, and dialed BMW’s toll-free number. She gave them her name and all of the other information they needed, and they told her they’d send a tow truck out right away. They’d also said they’d send someone out from the dealership to pick her up so she could ride back with them to get one of their loaner vehicles, which actually, she was very happy about because if she hadn’t owned a car manufactured by a company like BMW, she’d have had to rent some pitiful-looking rental car.

  In the meantime, while she waited, she thought about going back inside the mall to browse around a few more stores but figured she’d better wait for the tow truck. Instead, she called Melanie.

  “Hey, girl, I just got a chance to listen to your message and was about to call you.”

  “Can you believe Phillip’s father had a heart attack?”

  “No, and I’m really sorry to hear it. I see cases like your father-in-law’s all the time, and it’s never an easy situation.”

  “But he’s not going to die, is he?”

  “I won’t lie to you. People have died, but there are so many people who recover from quadruple bypass surgery and go on to have normal and very productive lives. He’ll probably have to be on heart and cholesterol medication for the rest of his life, but that’s a small price to pay when we’re talking life or death.”

  “I just hate that this is happening. Phillip is extremely close to his father, and his mother isn’t taking this very well herself.”

  “That’s totally understandable, but I’m sure he’s in good hands.”

  “Yes, he’s at one of the hospitals that specialize in heart surgeries, so we’re really happy about that.”

  “Are you there now?”

  Alicia paused at first. “Um, no, I was on my way but my car broke down, so now I’m sitting here waiting for the tow truck.”

  “That’s not good. What do you think is wrong?”

  “I don’t know. But BMW is having it towed to one of their Chicago dealerships, so I’m sure they’ll get it taken care of pretty quickly.”

  “Are you going to have Phillip come pick you up?”

  “He doesn’t have his truck because yesterday we rushed over with my dad and Charlotte, and then I came home with them last night so I could get my car and come back over to the hospital this morning.”

  “Oh, then how will you get there?”

  “They’re having someone from the dealership pick me up so they can take me back to get a loaner vehicle, but I’m hoping the dealership isn’t too far away because, right now, I’m only twenty minutes away from the hospital, and I really want to get there as soon as I can.”

  “Well, let me know if there is anything I can do. I have to work the next four days straight but you know I’ll take off in a second if you need me to be there for you.”

  “I know that, but for now I think we’re okay.”

  “And don’t hesitate to call me if for some reason Phillip and his mom have medical questions that they’re not getting answers to, and I’ll connect them with one of the doctors here at our heart center.”

  “I will, and I’ll definitely keep you posted on what’s going on.”

  “Please do, and I’ll check in with you as well.”

  “Okay, well, I guess I should go because it looks like the tow truck is already here. They must have been very close by.”

  “Take care, and call me.”

  “See ya.”

  Alicia waited for the truck to make its way around to the aisle where she was parked, and then she stepped out of her vehicle.

  Two handsome young men got out, and the driver walked closer to her. “Are you Alicia Sullivan?”

  “Yes, that’s me.”

  “Sorry about your car.”

  “Thanks, but it happens.”

  “Here’s our card and on the back of it is the address of the dealership where we’ll be taking your vehicle to.”

  Alicia glanced over it. “Thanks.”

  “Do you have everything out of it that you want to take with you?”

  “Just a couple of bags and my purse but that’s pretty much it.”

  “Well, while you’re getting that, we’ll go ahead and start the hook-up process.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Alicia gathered her belongings from the car and stood to the side. It didn’t take them very long to load her car onto the flatbed and, thankfully, a representative from the dealership was just pulling up. Soon after, the towing company employees finished what they needed to do and waved good-bye to her.

  The salt-and-pepper-haired man from the dealership greeted her and then opened the passenger side of the car for her. She asked him how far they had to drive and he told her about thirty minutes. Which wouldn’t have been such a big deal, except now it had been almost three hours since she’d spoken to Phillip, and she knew he was probably wondering where she was. But she guessed there was no sense worrying herself about it because it wasn’t like she had any other options.

  About an hour later, Alicia drove away in a silver BMW and headed straight for the hospital. Within minutes, her phone rang. It was Phillip, but she was now okay to talk to him because she had her story ready. Actually, she’d left him a message about fifteen minutes ago, and she was glad he was calling her back.

  “So what happened to the car?”

  “I don’t know. It just wouldn’t start?”

  “And it stopped on you right in the middle of traffic while you were driving on the expressway?”

  “Yes, and these two men had to stop and help push it to the side of the road.”

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. But it took a while for the tow truck to come, and then I had to go to the dealership. I’m finally on my way now, though.”

  “Good. And the reason I didn’t answer when you called earlier was that Mom and I were talking to the doctor.”

  “What did he say?”

  “Not much, except that nothing’s changed and that no news is good news. Oh, and your dad and Charlotte are here. They decided to miss the elder board meeting so they could come back over.”

  “I’m surprised they didn’t call me.”

  “They thought you were already here. And actually, I told them you should be arriving any minute, but then I figured maybe you didn’t get to leave home right when you said.”

  “Actually, I left a little later but not by much.”

  “It’s been good having them and Miss Thelma here for the last couple of hours because, baby…this is hard. And I really need you right now.”

  “I’m only about a half hour away or less, and I’m sorry the car broke down. Otherwise I would have already been there.”

  “You can’t help what happened, so don’t feel bad about that. But, baby, just get here as soon as you can because, like I said, I really need you. I wanted to tell you that so badly when you called me this morning. I kept thinking how if for some reason Dad got worse and he didn’t make it, I really wanted you here. But I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to sound like some wimp. Plus, I wanted you to get as much rest as you could and take your time getting ready because I knew we’d have to be here all day and all night.”

  “I’m really sorry I didn’t leave home earlier, but I’ll be there shortly.”

  “I love you, Alicia.”

  “I love you,
too.”

  Alicia drove about ten miles and then cringed when she saw that traffic was starting to back up. It wasn’t even three o’clock yet, so she hoped there hadn’t been an accident. If that was the case, it would take her forever to arrive at her destination. She coasted along and then changed lanes, but that didn’t help much. She did this for forty minutes, and then finally she saw flashing lights. There really had been an accident.

  Finally, though, it only took her another twenty minutes to drive beyond it, and fifteen minutes after that, she pulled into the hospital lot. After parking, she hurried into the building, and took the elevator up to the fifth floor.

  But when the doors opened, and she walked toward the waiting area, she saw Charlotte wiping away tears and a regretful look on her father’s face.

  “We didn’t want to call you while you were driving, but, baby girl, he’s gone.”

  “What?”

  “Your father-in-law is gone.”

  “Where’s Phillip?”

  “He and his mom are in with him, saying good-bye.”

  “No. But I just talked to Phillip, and he said nothing had changed.”

  “I know, but as soon as he hung up we heard a code being called on the PA system, and then we found out it was for him. But come on, you need to go in there because Phillip isn’t taking this well at all. Charlotte and I only left him and his mom because we wanted to tell you as soon as you got here.”

  Alicia followed her father’s direction, but all she could think was that if she hadn’t stopped at the mall, she would have gotten to see her father-in-law before he passed, and she would have been there for Phillip when it happened.

  She already felt guilty for lying to him in the first place, but this was the absolute worst.

  Chapter 14

  Phillip finally knew what it meant to have the wind knocked clean out of him because that’s exactly how he’d felt when the doctor had pronounced his father dead. His father had flat-lined without warning, and although the ICU medical staff had tried their best to revive him, they hadn’t been able to do so. Phillip had stood at a distance, studying them as they worked frantically and he was glad his mother had chosen to remain in the waiting area. As a matter of fact, he was sure he wasn’t supposed to be inside the unit either, not while a code was being handled, but with all that was going on, he guessed they hadn’t paid much attention to him.

  Now, though, one day later, he wished he’d waited outside like everyone else, because he would never forget what it was like, physically watching his father die. It had been horrible, and the only solace he’d been able to find last night was in the arms of his wife. It was true that he’d never been more hurt, felt more empty, or felt more alone, but it had helped having Alicia right there with him. Loving him, caressing him, consoling him. And then, while he hadn’t wanted anyone to see him in such a sad state, he was thankful to Miss Thelma and Curtis and Charlotte for being with them at the hospital and then coming to his parents’ house. He was thankful to his other set of in-laws, too, Tanya and James, as well as a few of the members from his parents’ church because they’d dropped by and kept his mother’s spirits up as best they could.

  It was a rough time in Phillip’s life, and it was only going to get worse as the day went on because in a few hours they’d have to head out to the funeral home to make his father’s arrangements. Phillip already dreaded going near that place and couldn’t wait for that part to be over with.

  Phillip went into the newly remodeled kitchen, the one his parents had finally decided to upgrade after more than thirty years, and sat down at the table. His mother, Miss Thelma, and Alicia were eating breakfast.

  His mother smoothed the side of his face. “You okay?”

  “Not really, but…”

  “Can I fix you something to eat?” Miss Thelma asked.

  “No, thank you. I’m not really hungry.”

  “Well, you’re going to have to eat sometime, and it may as well be now.”

  He could tell Miss Thelma wasn’t planning to take no very easily, but his stomach was tying itself in knots and he just didn’t have an appetite.

  “You know we have to meet with the funeral director in a couple of hours.”

  Phillip nodded and then looked down at the table.

  “Son, I know this is hard, but there’s no sense putting off what we know we have to do.”

  “You’re right, but I’m just dreading this, and it’s almost like this isn’t real.”

  “I feel the same way, and this morning when I first woke up, I turned to look at your father and then realized he wasn’t there. I realized he was never going to be there ever again.” Phillip’s mother shed a few tears, but then quickly got control of herself. “I felt like I wanted to die, too, but then I thought about how the last thing your father would want us to do is fret over him. He always used to say that just as surely as we come here, we’re going to leave here, and there ain’t no sense in trying to maneuver your way around it.”

  Miss Thelma smiled. “That sure is what he would say. He said that all the time.”

  “Then he would go on to talk about how he knew he was never going to be a rich man but that whenever it came time to put him away, he wanted to go in style. He would talk about how he wanted all the stops to be pulled so he could have a memorable send-off. He even made sure he got an extra insurance policy just to cover his funeral expenses.”

  Phillip wasn’t interested in any of what his mother and Miss Thelma were talking about, but he pretended that he was. He knew they were trying to stay positive, look on the bright side of things, and he didn’t want to hurt their feelings. “Then we’ll do exactly what Dad would have wanted.”

  “That we will.”

  “I think I’m going to get dressed.”

  “Go ahead, son. Do what you need to do.”

  Phillip left and went back into the bedroom and Alicia followed behind him.

  “I just don’t see how this is ever going to get better.”

  “I know, honey, but it will.”

  “My parents have always been everything to me but now my father is gone. Then, on top of that, I’m worried about my mom. She hasn’t been alone in all these years, so who’s going to look out for her?”

  “We’ll look out for her. Miss Thelma will and other people, too.”

  “But it won’t be the same. It won’t be the same as having someone here with her day in and day out. It won’t be the same at all.”

  Alicia didn’t say anything but reached out to hug him. He felt so secure when they embraced this way, and it was the only thing keeping him going.

  “I’m having a tough time with this, too, though, because I’m so hurt that I didn’t get to see him again. Not ever did I think that when he and Mom Katherine left Mitchell on Sunday that that would be the last time I would see him alive.”

  “But, baby, we already went over that, and there’s no reason for you to feel bad. You didn’t leave home until late morning and then with the car quitting on the expressway, you couldn’t help not being there. It would have been nice for you to have seen him, but you had no control over that.”

  “I know, but I still feel bad. I should have been there for you when it happened.”

  “I wish you could have because while I was trying to console Mom, I still couldn’t wait for you to walk through those doors. I mean, if there was ever a time when I needed you, it was then and now. But like I said, there was nothing you could have done that would have gotten you to the hospital any earlier, so stop beating yourself up.”

  “I’ll try, and I just want you to know that I’ll do anything you want me to do. For you or your mom.”

  Phillip hugged her and was glad he had such a compassionate wife, the kind any man needed at a time such as this.

  Mom Katherine browsed through the catalog but then turned back to the page that showed a casket designed in cherry wood. It was beautifully polished and looked every bit worth the three thousand dol
lars the coffin manufacturer was charging.

  “This is the one. This is the one Phil would want, and I even think one time he showed me a picture of one that was pretty similar.”

  She passed the catalog over to Phillip, and he took a closer look. “Whatever you want is fine with me. It’s definitely a nice one, if there is such a thing as a nice casket.”

  The funeral director, who sort of looked dead himself, spoke up. “It’s one of our top sellers and one of the best you can buy in this category. It’s an excellent choice.”

  Mom Katherine took the catalog back and looked at it one last time. “What do you think, Thelma?”

  “It’s beautiful. Very elegant.”

  “Then we’ll take it. Phil wanted something exquisite, and I think this will do very nicely.”

  Alicia sat listening to the way Mom Katherine and Miss Thelma carried on about the casket, but to her it sounded more like they were shopping for high-priced living room furniture. Maybe she was just too young to understand it but from the look on Phillip’s face, he didn’t get it either.

  Then, the place in general gave her the creeps. The atmosphere seemed morbid, as did the music that was playing in the background, and Alicia couldn’t wait to get out of there.

  “Now, you’re sure this is okay with you?” Mom Katherine asked Phillip again.

  “Yes, really, Mom, it is.”

  Actually, Alicia was a bit surprised that Phillip hadn’t made any objections because when it came to anything else, including her, he was very money conscious and was always worried about paying too much for everything. But maybe he was okay with this because he didn’t have to pay anything out of his own pocket.

  After deciding on which vault to go with, something Alicia had no idea about because she’d always thought the casket itself went straight into the ground and didn’t need anything to protect it, they ordered a limousine to serve as the family car, and then decided on the day and time of the funeral, which would be three days from now on Saturday. The visitation would take place three hours before the service started.