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Show 406 Her eyes ran and she was. smiling. The skin around her nostrils was wet and pink. "Wasn't that nice, Mother?" "Lynn should have been dead himself by now," his mother said to Hilda Jorgenson. Lorin scarcely recognized Hilda. Her head shook and loose grey skin hung in folds under her jawbone. "Hi, Hilda," he said. "How are you holding up, Lorrie?" his sister asked, talking low to blend with the general murmur. "I'm okay. Where's Stephen?" "I think he was having a nicky fit. It's almost time to start. Want me to spell you?" "Yeah. I won't be long." He helped her up-Katy was pregnant and had a hard time changing positions-and settled her in his chair. "I'll be right back." His mother looked alarmed. "Where are you going?" "It's okay, Mother, he's not going away." "Have you touched him yet?" she called after him. Lorin made for the door to the parking lot, shaking hands as he went with strangers who had familiar faces. He stood at the top of the concrete steps blinking at the hot asphalt and the mortuary hearse parked at the bottom with its back doors open and its gleaming red interior looking like a hot throat. He fought an urge to step back into the viewing room and look to make sure nothing in the casket had changed. He suspected that was not healthy. He walked through the parking lot, checking behind all the cars and finding nothing but a couple of small neighborhood kids playing in the weeds by the fence. |
