might I say itâs a pleasure to meet you at long last. Iâve heard a great deal about you, from your mother and from Clarice. Theyâre mighty proud of you.â
âIâm afraid the ladies exaggerate. You know how mothers andâ¦and family friends can be.â
Yvonne tugged on Theronâs arm. âYou should speak to Max andââ
âBy all means. Lead the way.â
âWeâll have to get in line,â Yvonne said. âI think the end of the line is outside in the hallway. Earlier it was all the way outside and into the street.â
âIf we go to the end of the line, this could take a good twenty minutes.â
âMind your manners. Twenty minutes wonât kill you.â
She ushered him out into the hall. Several people glowered at them, but when a few smiled and spoke to Yvonne, the others seemed to relax. It wasnât that often that African Americans entered the doors of the Trendall Funeral Home.
âWhatâs going on with Clarice and that guy?â Theron asked.
âYou heard what she saidâheâs courting her.â
âI take that to mean that theyâre dating?â
Yvonne nodded.
âWhatâs he after? Hasnât somebody told him that all the money in the family belonged to Louis Royale?â
âLower your voice. Someone might hear you.â
âAnd do you think that everybody in Sumarville isnât laughing behind her back? A man doesnât court a fruitcake like Clarice, unless he thinks heâll get something monetary out of it.â
âShâ¦â Yvonne cautioned, then lowered her voice to a whisper. âMax agrees with you and I must admit that I have my doubts, but Clarice refuses to listen to anything negative about Nowell.â
Just as Theron started to reply, he glanced behind Yvonne and seemed totally hypnotized by whoever or whatever had captured his attention. Yvonne glanced over her shoulder. Dr. Sandy Wells and Dr. Amy Jardien entered the line directly behind them. Sandy and Amy were local general practitioners, partners in a clinic that served the poor in the community. Yvonne couldnât help thinking what an odd twosome the women made and how there had been a time when friendship between a white woman and a black woman was frowned upon in these parts. Unless of course, the black woman was the white womanâs maid. Yvonne wondered what Sandyâs father thought of his daughterâs close association with the daughter of Sumarvilleâs black undertaker? Just the thought of Roscoe Wells sent cold shivers through Yvonne. The man had once been a racist, a bigot, and a rumored member of the Klan. And despite his political promises that not only had he never been associated with the Klan and that he was now an advocate of progressive race relations, she didnât believe him. But others did, even some of the African Americans who had helped reelect him to the state senate four times.
âHello, Mrs. Carter. How are you?â Sandy Wells asked.
Yvonne forced a smile as she turned to face the woman. Logic dictated that she be nice to Dr. Wells, who had never done anything to Yvonne, had never in any way been anything other than friendly and polite. But emotional reactions were something else altogether. No matter how good a woman Sandy Wells might be, she was the spawn of the devil. And no matter how much Roscoe Wells declared himself a reformed racist, Yvonne would never believe a word out of the manâs wicked mouth.
âIâm fine, Dr. Wells,â Yvonne said. âAnd you?â
âFine, but sad for Louisâs family, of course. How is Georgette holding up?â
âSheâs rather shaky, but Max is taking good care of her.â
âNaturally. Max is a rock, isnât he? Such a strong man.â
Yvonne only nodded. She suspected that Sandy Wells was halfway in love with her former brother-in-law and perhaps always had been, even when
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