Post-Mortem, page 18
part #2 of Sapphic Sphere Series
“Uhh, shouldn’t family sit up there?”
“Yes. But he really didn’t have anyone but me – and his brother – I guess. I’m not really sure who is going to show up for this anyway. Just sit up there on the left side, and save me a seat.”
“Okay – you’re coming right back though, right?” Cherry asked worriedly.
Ana chuckled and stood up straight, “Yes. I’m just going to see if the sisters are coming, and if Father John is ready.” Cherry shot her a look that had Ana smiling again and she said, “Two minutes.”
“Okay, the clock is ticking,” Cherry said, and then remembering the flowers said, “Wait! These are for wherever you like.”
“You didn’t have to.” Ana looked at the flowers with obvious satisfaction. “Please just bring those up with you, and when I come back, I’ll find a place for them,” she handed to vase back to Cherry.
Cherry nodded and repeated, “Two minutes.” She moved along the aisle to the front of the church and sat down at the first pew, twiddling her thumbs nervously. She checked her watch when Ana waved at her and held up two fingers before disappearing through a clergy-only looking door.
Cherry considered how odd it must’ve been to grow up in a church – then pondered further how odd it must’ve been to grow up in an orphanage. Ana seemed incredibly normal to her, a little broken from her hideous marriage, but normal nonetheless.
There was a cacophony of noise at the back of the room that caused Cherry to turn in her seat. A tall, muscular, well-dressed blond man had entered the hall, talking loudly on his cell phone. “That’s right, I want you to move the funds as soon as possible. Why else would I be calling you on a Saturday morning?” He paused and assumed a listening pose, but then said, “I don’t care that it’s your day off – we’re going to be working together for years unless you drop the ball on me. Get your shit together. Good. Right. That’s what I want to hear. Yeah, I just made it. There’s practically no one here. I’m a little surprised, but I am a bit early. Uh huh. Yeah, yeah, yeah – I gotta go.”
He hung up his phone and waved at Cherry as if he knew her. She raised a hand with a confused look on her face, until she heard Ana say quietly, “That’s Gregory.”
Cherry turned towards Ana who had picked up the vase of flowers while Cherry was observing the overly loud phone call. Her complexion had gone from a healthy rosy color to a pale, waxy pallor. “Hey,” Cherry said, standing up and grabbing the flowers, “Just tell me where you want these, please sit.”
Ana flicked her eyes at Cherry and allowed her to take the vase, then sat and faced forward. Cherry held the flowers up expectantly, and Ana just pointed towards the overly large photograph of Bram. Cherry looked at Bram’s photo and then back to the man who had entered and was now leaning against one of the ornately carved posts and she shivered.
Okay – even I am freaked out by the likeness.
Cherry quickly put the flowers next to the picture and then strode back to her seat. She didn’t want to leave Ana alone, she seemed too fragile at the moment. When Cherry sat next to Ana, she made sure that they were touching shoulder to shoulder. She turned and whispered into Ana’s ear, “Everything is going to be okay.”
A single tear fell from Ana’s eye and trailed down her cheek. Cherry used the back of her knuckle to wipe away the tear and rubbed Ana’s shoulder reassuringly. She heard a few more voices at the back of the church, and she turned to see several men filtering into the back of the church. Gregory shook everyone’s hand and introduced himself as Bram’s twin brother. As they walked past Gregory, Cherry could tell that they were all were surprised by the twin’s appearance.
“I’ve got to go and greet everyone, but I don’t want to do it while he’s standing there,” Ana admitted to Cherry.
“I’ll go with you,” Ana shot her a look of worry. “It’ll be okay, I promise,” Cherry reassured her.
Cherry and Ana walked down the aisle towards the group of people filtering into the Church. “Hi, you must be Gregory,” Cherry said holding out her hand to Bram’s twin. “I’ve heard so much about you.”
“Yes, I am. And you are?” he asked, taking Cherry’s hand and squeezing it.
“I’m Ana’s friend, Cherry. Allow me to show you to your seat,” she said, irritated that the man hadn’t released her hand.
He looked down at her and smiled tightly, “That’s so nice of you. Good of you to be here for Ana – it must be a hard day for her,” he said, squeezing her hand so tightly that her knuckle bones rubbed painfully on one another.
Cherry stared back at him, gritting her teeth into a smile, “Yes. Ana needs support today, and I’m more than happy to be here for her.” She mustered all the strength she could and tightened her grip on his hand, grinding his knuckle bones together. His eyes widened with anger, and his smile turned into a grimace. Cherry was sure he was about to crush her hand, so she started walking him toward the front of the church, forcing him to let go lest it look like they were holding hands.
Determined to keep Gregory a good distance from Ana, she motioned for Gregory to sit in the seventh row. “Don’t you think that as his brother that I should get to sit in the first or second row?”
“Look, Greg,” Cherry said, deliberately shortening his name, “I’m not sure what you’re playing at, but I’m quite certain that you know that your appearance upsets Ana. In fact, I’m pretty sure that you know you showing up here today would freak most people out. Why don’t you try to show a little respect for the occasion – and for Ana – and remain quiet and unseen. If you want to shout your name from the rooftops after the ceremony, you can do that outside. Cool?” Cherry asked, and then without waiting for an answer, she said, “Good,” and walked back down the aisle to be with Ana.
Ten minutes later, everyone had been seated and the nuns entered the church and took up the first three rows of the right hand side of the church. One very elderly looking nun sat on the other side of Ana, and held her hand. Ana whispered something to the old woman who bent forward and turned to look at Cherry. Cherry smiled at the woman and waved. The older woman’s face wrinkled into a delighted smile, she leaned back, and whispered something into Ana’s ear. Ana turned to Cherry and whispered, “That’s Mother Superior – she’s very happy that I have a – friend, you know, to support me,” Ana stammered.
Cherry nodded and patted Ana’s outer thigh. When she placed her own hand back in her lap, she was surprised when Ana grabbed her hand and held it firmly. Cherry looked at her and smiled sadly, “Thank you for what you did,” she whispered, tipping her head backwards towards the twin.
“You’re welcome. Remind me to tell you something afterwards,” Cherry whispered back. Ana nodded and gave Cherry’s hand a squeeze.
The priest appeared from the clergy door. He was young for a priest, and didn’t dally when it came to the funeral. He spoke quickly, but with feeling. He read several passages from the Bible and talked about the circle of life.
Where’s Rafiki?
The funeral only lasted about thirty minutes, which pleased Cherry – she hadn’t been prepared for all the kneeling, sitting, standing portions, but she followed along as best she could. When the funeral was over, people came up to Ana again to give their condolences.
Several of the male attendees wandered over to Ana and lingered a bit too long in Cherry’s mind. Ana introduced the group to Cherry as Bram’s business associates – they were all polite, but to Cherry they seemed like vultures stalking a wounded animal waiting for it to die. One in particular stood out. Large and in charge was what his suit said, but his hug screamed inappropriate and grabby. Cherry was relieved when they finally moved on.
The last person to filter through the line of grievers was Gregory Waltham.
Cherry glared at him while he held out his hand to Ana and expressed his condolences. “I’m so sorry for your loss. I’m also sorry that we didn’t meet under more favorable circumstances. Do you think that we could meet for a drink sometime?”
“Thank you, Gregory. I appreciate the offer, but I don’t think that would be a good idea,” Ana said with a kindness Cherry didn’t think was necessary.
Gregory clearly didn’t like the answer. He gritted his teeth into an appropriately contrite smile and said, “Can’t blame a guy for trying…. I’m sorry, what was your name?” he asked, addressing Cherry with is hand outstretched.
Rather than take his hand, Cherry slapped him on the shoulder of his outstretched arm and gently pushed him in the direction of the doors, “My name is Cherry. It was really interesting meeting you Gregory. Thank you for coming and I wish you all the best,” she said to him while she led him out of the church.
“You must be really close to Ana,” Gregory said once they were outside the building.
“Yes, I must be,” Cherry said, agreeing with the statement and questioning it at the same time.
“Take care,” Gregory called when he reached the bottom of the steps. He waved and gave her a completely inappropriate thumbs up.
Meeting Mother
Cherry -
Cherry quickly made her way back into the church after watching Gregory walk away. She couldn’t believe the inappropriate nature of his attendance or of his behavior, but ultimately the interaction was over and neither she nor Ana were going to have to see that creep again.
And good riddance.
Cherry focused her attention on the front of the church. There was now a sea of black robed women shuffling around the first row of pews. Occasionally, Cherry would catch a flash of Ana’s bright blond hair, so she decided to hang back and allow them all to express their condolences. She sat at the back of the church again, but this time she felt more at ease. She sat upright and waited until the majority of the habit-covered heads made their way through the clergy room door.
Eventually, everyone dispersed except Ana and Mother Superior. They sat in the first pew, talking quietly with one another. Cherry enjoyed watching Ana’s face when she spoke – it was so expressive. Her love for the Mother Superior was evident with every word, movement, and smile. Ana turned her head towards Cherry and waved her for her to come up to the front. Not wanting to intrude, but not wanting to be rude, she ambled up to the two women.
The old woman grabbed her right hand and said, “Thank you for being here with my Ana.” She smiled her wrinkled smile and continued, “She needs someone with great strength – someone who can kick out the rabble like you did.”
“It was my pleasure. That man didn’t need to keep bothering her – he seemed to take pleasure in it,” Cherry said more to herself than anyone else.
The old woman nodded and said, “Just like Bram – two halves of the same apple.”
“Yes, exactly,” Cherry agreed. She smiled at the woman’s simplistic way of cutting to the quick of the problem – so much like her own mother.
Ana stood up and looped her arm through Cherry’s, “Well, Mother – shall we walk you back to your room?”
The old woman cracked another smile, “Why that would be lovely. I think this Doctor of yours could help me get out of my seat?” she suggested, tugging slightly on Cherry’s right hand.
“I think I could do that,” Cherry said, gently and slowly pulling the woman from her seat. Once Mother Superior was up, she continued to hold Cherry’s hand for support as they started towards the clergy door. “Say, how did you know I was a doctor?”
“My Ana. She was bragging about you,” Mother Superior said matter-of-factly.
“I see,” Cherry said, looking back at Ana who was walking behind them smiling widely.
“Seems to me, that she wasn’t lying. That’s the thing about my Ana, she always tells the truth – to me anyway,” Mother Superior said and elbowed Cherry in the side lightly.
Cherry leaned into Mother Superior in a slightly conspiratorial way and whispered loudly, “That’s a good quality – I’m a fan of honesty. I’m also a fan of Ana.”
Mother Superior patted her hand and cackled, “That’s good. That’s very good.”
Cherry turned to see Ana smiling amusedly at their interchange. “How long have you lived at St. Catherine’s?”
“All my life. I was an orphan, just like my Ana. I chose to stay permanently – when I was twenty-five. It was all I knew – it was all I needed to know,” she said wistfully. “Did Ana tell you that I was the one to name her?”
“No, she didn’t,” Cherry answered.
“Yes. She was a dark haired baby. I thought she was of Spanish descent – so I named her Luciana – which means light. It was quite funny when all her hair started to turn bright blond. It was as if the name changed her,” the woman laughed at herself and Cherry laughed with her. “What sort of a name is Cherry?” the old woman asked.
“A last one,” Cherry deadpanned.
The woman’s face lit up, and she laughed until she had a coughing fit. “Oh this one’s a keeper, Ana,” she said ,once she stopped coughing. The three women had stopped walking and stood outside a closed door, “You going to open the door?” she asked Cherry.
“Oh, yes,” Cherry said, rushing to open the door, and allowed Mother Superior and Ana to enter before her. The cramped room was quite stark, but one wall was filled with pictures of children.
All the orphans…
“There are all of St. Catherine’s children – well, all that I’ve ever met,” she said, shuffling over to her bed. “But this, this is my Ana. Wasn’t she beautiful?” Mother Superior handed Cherry a framed photograph of a much younger Ana.
Cherry smiled at the youthful photo and said, “Yes, she was – erm – is.”
“Yep – definitely a keeper,” she said, placing the framed picture back on her bedside table.
Ana leaned down to Mother Superior’s ear and said in a stage whisper, “I think so too.” She winked at Cherry who smiled awkwardly.
You all know that I’m gay, right?
“Okay – We’ve got to be going now. Do you need anything before we leave?” Ana asked.
“No. No. No. I’m fine. I’m just going to have a nice rest, and then a small lunch,” Mother Superior answered, lowering herself to the bed. “Will you be back here on Monday, or are you taking a few days off?”
“I’ll be back on Monday,” Ana promised and kissed the woman’s forehead.
“Good. Will you be back on Monday?” Mother Superior asked Cherry.
“No ma’am, probably not,” Cherry answered.
“Well, do come again with my Ana. Perhaps we can have tea?” she suggested.
“Absolutely – you pick a day, and I’ll make it work,” Cherry said.
“Good. Good. Good,” she said, grabbing Cherry’s right hand and Ana’s left. “In the meantime, you take care of my Ana – she’s my favorite,” she said, placing their hands together.
Cherry shifted uncomfortably and Ana smiled shyly, taking Cherry’s hand and giving it a squeeze. Cherry looked at Ana, who was staring at her with a strange bit of intensity. She felt her stomach flip, her heart flutter, and then she cursed herself before promising Ana’s mother that she would.
… I knew going to church would be the death of me…
Pre-Gaming
Ana -
Ana and Cherry left the church through the side door – their arms linked – not speaking. Once they were outside, Ana turned to Cherry, “Thank you for that. For all of that.”
“You don’t need to thank me every time I do something normal,” Cherry said, smiling sheepishly.
“It’s not normal for me – and until it is – you should expect gratitude. Not everyone is as sweet or as strong as you are – Rita Jane?” Ana joked.
“Ooof – you are not good at this,” Cherry teased back.
“So, when do we have to be at lunch?” Ana asked.
Cherry looked at her watch, did some quick math, and said, “About three hours.”
“Did you bring a change of clothes or are you planning on going home and changing?” Ana asked.
“I – uh – I didn’t bring a change of clothes – just flowers,” Cherry admitted.
“Oh. Sorry about that. I just thought we’d hang out until it was time for your family thing,” Ana said, ducking her head in embarrassment.
“Don’t do that, it’s not a big deal,” Cherry said, wiggling Ana by the arm.
“Do you want to go get a drink? I know it’s only eleven-thirty, but by the time we get anywhere, it’ll be noon – and I could really use something to calm me down.”
“Say no more – you also have to be slightly fortified to meet my family,” Cherry said half-jokingly.
Ana chuckled and then shivered in excitement.
I’m going to meet Cherry’s family today.
“What do you say to going back to my hotel, there’s a nice bartender, then I can change, and drive you back to your house to do the same?”
“Sounds like a plan. Care to give me a lift?” Cherry asked.
“How do you live without a car?” Ana asked in response.
“Taxis, I walk a lot, and… get this, I even have a bicycle for extra special days,” Cherry teased.
“Yes, but what if you want to go to the country or something?” Ana asked as they were getting into her car. “That’s one expensive car ride!”
“Hey now, I know HOW to drive. I just don’t own a car. I can rent one if I need to go somewhere. It may be a little impractical, but I haven’t ever really needed one.”
Ana nodded and started her car. She put the car in drive, but then put it back in park immediately. She shot a worried look at Cherry and then got out of the car, pulled a note out from underneath her windshield wiper, and slid back into her seat. She unfolded the note and read it aloud, “God is watching.” She frowned at the note, crumpled it up, and tossed it into the back seat.
“That was strangely ominous,” Cherry said, reaching into the backseat and unfolding the note to read it for herself. “Do you recognize the script?”
