***Willow Pond***
It is 5 a.m. Jonathan and Jennifer are sleeping. The phone rings, waking Jennifer first.
She reached across Jonathan and answered it.
"Hello?"
"Miss Jennifer, it's Walter. You need to come now".
"On my way".
She hung up the phone and woke Jonathan up.
"Darling….wake up."
"Hmmm?"
"Wake up. I have to go".
He sat up.
"That was Walter. He says I need to come now".
"I'll call Jack".
She was hurriedly packing and throwing things into a bag.
She took a lightning fast shower and he took one after her.
They went downstairs, and she made some travel mugs of coffee.
He loaded her bags into the car, and they left Max a note.
He drove her to the airport and parked next to the plane. Jack had just gotten there.
"I'll get on the next flight out this afternoon, darling."
"I love you".
"I love you too. Call me when you get there".
She nodded. She kissed him and then boarded the plane.
5 hours later, she was landing at Dulles. Jonathan had called and reserved her a car, which she drove as fast as she could to Hill Haven.
She pulled up and parked and Walter came and met her.
"Hi Miss Jennifer. They've moved him downstairs, he's in the den. He's resting comfortably, but it won't be much longer".
"Thank you, Walter".
She went on in and he took her bags upstairs.
She took a deep breath and then went into the room.
He looked like he was asleep, but he looked gray. His skin tone was dull, and his hair was gone.
She kissed his forehead and held his hand for a minute, and then crept over to the phone to call Jonathan.
"Hello?"
"Hi Deanne, it's Jennifer. Can I speak to Jonathan please?"
"Right away, ma'am".
"Hey".
"Hey. I'm here. I've been here about 10 minutes. He's resting comfortably, but he's asleep."
"My flight leaves in two hours, I'll be there tonight".
"What time are you landing, I'll come get you?"
"No, don't do that, angel. You need to stay with him. I will rent a car if I have to, or take a cab, whatever. Can I bring you anything?"
"Yes actually. I forgot to pack pajamas. Pants and tops, and a robe please."
"You got it. I love you, I will see you tonight, angel".
"I love you too. I'm so glad you are coming".
She blew him a kiss as he hung up the phone and then went and sat by her dad again.
She held his hand and talked to him and told him it was ok.
"Momma's waiting on you, Pa. Give her a hug for me, ok?"
She felt him relax a little.
The nurse came and checked his vitals.
"Hi, I'm Jennifer, his daughter".
"Hi ma'am. I'm Olivia, I'll be here till morning".
"Thank you".
As much as she had tried to make peace with this, it was still devastating to her.
Even as an adult, there was nothing easy about this process.
She asked Walter to bring her a glass of ice water, and she moved the Kleenex box closer to where she sat.
In an impulsive move, she moved the loveseat clear across the room, right next to his bed.
Under any other circumstances, he would have told her to not be so reckless and to put it back. If only he could talk to her now.
"Jonathan's coming, Pa. He will be here tonight. You always were in a good mood when he was around".
Walter brought her ice water.
"Thank you, Walter".
"Sure, Miss Jennifer. Listen, I am going to go in the study and make some phone calls. I think his colleagues abroad would like to have some extra travel time".
"Oh, that's a wonderful idea. Thank you, Walter".
She got comfortable on the couch and kept talking to him and rubbing the back of his hand.
"Remember when I was 8 and hid in the hay loft for a whole day? You and Momma were so mad at me. I didn't know I had done anything wrong, I was just playing".
His heart monitor showed a spike in his heart rate.
"I know, you still don't like to talk about that day".
He calmed down some.
She leaned down close to him.
"You are the best part of me. You made me smart, you made me strong. You taught me how to survive. I'm going to be okay, Pa. Jonathan and I are going to be okay. We love you, we have always loved you".
His breathing was even and deep.
Jennifer went and got the box from the study. The box was where all his important papers were kept. Insurance policies, bank statements, mortgage papers, all of it. For as long as Jennifer could recall, it had always been in that box.
She brought the box back to the den and sat back down on the couch.
She tried to look through them and make sense of them, but her head was hurting.
She told the nurse she was going to take a nap and to wake her if necessary.
She fell asleep, holding her dad's hand.
The next thing she knew, Jonathan was coming in the door.
She sat up.
"Hi".
"Hi angel".
He came over and kissed her.
"Pa, Jonathan is here". Jonathan reached over and gave his hand a squeeze.
He wrapped an arm around Jennifer.
"Have you eaten?"
"No, I'm not hungry. I had a headache and took a long nap. In fact, I had just woken up when you got here".
"Darling, you have to eat. Just a little something. Let me get you something".
"Ok, but I don't want to leave him. Something small".
He kissed her temple and headed to the kitchen. He returned a short time later with a sandwich for her and a glass of tea.
"Grilled cheese and avocado-your favorite".
"Thank you".
She quietly ate while he sat next to her.
"How was your flight?"
"Good. No delays or anything. I was lucky to get a direct flight".
"I feel horrible that I woke you up like that this morning".
"Don't be silly. I'm glad you did".
She finished her sandwich and set her plate on the table next to her.
She laced her fingers through his and leaned against him for a while.
"I was looking through a box of photos earlier. I found one of our engagement photos. I can't believe you and I have been married for 15 years, darling".
"Me either. 15 years next month".
"Crystal is the 15th anniversary."
"Feels like yesterday".
She let go of his hand and went to the bathroom. When she came back, she had changed into some gray velour wide legged sweat pants and a pink t-shirt.
She curled up on the couch next to him and laced her fingers through his again.
"Darling, promise me that when we get back to LA, you will get a complete physical? I refuse to let cancer sneak up on us again".
"Darling, I'm fine. I'm perfectly healthy and so are you".
"And so was my dad, one day. The next day, he had end stage 3 lung cancer".
"He also smoked cigars like a chimney, darling".
"I know that. And Max does too. And you and I inhale that".
"I will ask Max to go outside from now on. But I really don't think you and I have anything to worry about".
"Just humor me, ok?"
"Ok".
She rested her head on his shoulder and dozed a little.
About an hour later, the nurse reached over and woke her up.
"Ma'am, it's time".
She sat up and grabbed his hand and kissed his cheek.
"I love you".
A few minutes later, Stephen Edwards had peacefully stepped out of this life and into the next.
Walter called the funeral home. The nurse removed all the tubes and wires and did all of the medical things.
Jennifer just sat there, in Jonathan's arms, processing everything.
One of the benefits about living in a small town is that services like ambulances and firetrucks respond quickly. The funeral home was no different.
It was only about an hour later that they were there to pick him up.
Jennifer walked with them and asked them to not zip him till he was in the funeral home.
"Darling, they cannot do that. They have to follow the proper procedures. They have to zip him".
She had tears streaming down her face.
"Bull! That's my father". Her voice broke as she realized that Jonathan was right.
He held her as she cried, watching them drive her father away.
"I'm nobody's little girl anymore".
***A few hours later***
Jonathan had convinced Jennifer to take a sleeping pill and get some rest. While she slept, he had gone through the papers that she couldn't make sense of.
He had made a list for her, breaking down each document. After he had gone through the whole box, he decided to head to bed.
Walter bid him goodnight.
"Walter-don't go to any trouble for us tomorrow. I have no idea what time she will get up or what she is going to feel like. Let's just play things by ear".
"Yes, sir".
He headed upstairs and quietly changed into his pajamas.
He climbed into bed and wrapped his arms around her. She moved closer to him and he could feel her relax a little.
He kissed her head and fell asleep with her.
***The next morning***
Jennifer slept till 8 and woke up. Jonathan was still sleeping beside her.
He felt her stirring.
"Hey. Can I get you anything?"
"No thank you, darling. I'm going to go take a shower".
He got up and went downstairs and started the coffee. He brought her a fresh cup just as she was getting out of the shower.
"Thank you".
When he got out of the shower, she was on the phone.
She chatted a few minutes and then hung up.
"Was that Max? I haven't called him yet".
"No. I was calling my aunt Lillian. She and Uncle Mark are coming down for the services".
He got dressed and they headed downstairs.
She made herself some toast and sat down at the table. Jonathan went and got the list he had made and sat down next to her.
"Darling, after you went to sleep last night, I went through the box. I made you a list detailing you what documents were in there and what you are dealing with for each document. And all the documents are back in the box, and the box is back in the study".
She looked over the list and sighed.
"Thank you. Trying to figure this out made my head hurt".
"If you want, I'm happy to go through the rest of his papers today and add to the list if needed".
"Yes please".
Jennifer went through the house and started packing up things that she wanted to take back to California with her.
Jonathan came in about 20 minutes later and found Jennifer in the den.
"Darling, I found a document that stated that we are to call a Christopher Perkins".
"That wasn't in the box".
"I think he intended to put it in there. It had a post it note on there that said "For the box".
He handed her the document.
"Chris? He wants us to call Chris?"
"You know him?"
"He's been Pa's lawyer for a while. And we sort of dated one summer when I was home from boarding school."
"I also found a large envelope that is sealed and has Chris' name on it".
"I'll call him right now".
She picked up the phone and called him.
"Hello Chris? This is Jennifer. Jennifer Edwards Hart, Stephen Edwards' daughter. I have a document that says I am supposed to call you when the time comes. The time came late last night, I'm afraid".
"I'll be right there, Jennifer".
"Thank you".
She hung up and turned to Jonathan.
"He said he's coming right over. I'm going to run change clothes".
Jonathan disappeared back into the study and emerged a little while later with a couple envelopes addressed to Jennifer, and a large file labeled "final arrangements".
Jennifer came downstairs in a pair of destructed jeans, some black riding boots and a long sleeved pink tunic.
She was sitting in the den when the doorbell rang. Walter got there before she did.
Chris came into the foyer.
"Jennifer, I'm so sorry. My condolences. He was a good man".
She hugged him and thanked him.
They walked into the living room.
Jonathan was sitting on the couch.
"Chris, this is my husband Jonathan. Jonathan, this is Chris Perkins". They shook hands and Chris sat down next to Jennifer.
"So, I pulled the documents that I had from him on file at my office. He indicated that he wanted me to do an official will reading, so that it would all be on the up and up. However, you, Jonathan and Walter and a lady named Lillian are the only ones who are named in the will, so if it's ok with you, we can just do it here at the house. He also gave me a directive about what he wants his final arrangements to be, and a directive on what to do with his various accounts. He typically would draw up the papers according to his wishes here and then bring them to me to sign and edit as needed, so if you find anything here, I'm happy to look at it."
"My husband has been going through his study all day".
"Yeah, I found that whole stack right there".
"Why don't we just start from the beginning? I'll give you what I have and then we can go through what you found".
Jennifer nodded.
She leaned back against Jonathan.
"For his final arrangements, he wants there to be a celebration of his life, but not a funeral. He wants 3 specific songs played, and he wants Jonathan to give his eulogy".
He pulled out another form and handed it to her.
"He also wants you to have him buried near you, in California. He wants you to have your mom's body moved to California as well, so they can be side by side. He set aside money for this."
"So, if he wants me to move them, that must mean that he thinks we won't come back here again."
"His wishes for the property are in the will."
Jennifer leaned across Jonathan and got a notepad off the table and a pen.
"Did he tell you where he wanted his service or what kind of service he wanted?"
"No, he said he was fine with whatever, as long as it wasn't a funeral, just a celebration of his life."
She started making a list of what she would need-tent, chairs, sound system, flowers, caterer.
"He had set aside a bank account expressly for his service costs. All of his bank accounts are at the First National Bank of Maryland in town. I need to file his death certificate. Do you mind filling out this form?"
She quickly filled the form out and handed it back to him.
"Perfect. Now I will file his death certificate when I get back to the office. I am also going to notify social security, his insurance companies, and I will call the funeral home and ask them to prepare him for burial upon travel. You will need to go pick out a casket for him."
"Thank you, Chris. I really appreciate your help with all this".
She saw him out and he told them he would be in touch.
Jennifer came back to the living room and grabbed the phone.
She called her Aunt Lillian.
"Hi Aunt Lillian. It's Jennifer. I just spoke with Pa's lawyer, and Pa didn't want a funeral, he wanted a celebration of life. So, I'm thinking maybe Friday for the service, here at the house. Can you make it?"
"Yes sweetheart, we will be there. See you Thursday afternoon".
"Perfect, thank you".
She hung up the phone and turned to Jonathan.
"Darling, are you up for doing his eulogy?"
"Sure. It's what he wanted, so of course I'll do it".
"Will three days be enough time?"
"Yes, I think it will".
She got out the phone book and called and booked a tent, a minister, some chairs and tables and a caterer, and ordered some flower arrangements.
"Darling, Walter has always cooked the food here for your family and whomever else is here. Don't you think a caterer might hurt his feelings?"
"You're right. I love his cooking, but he's family. I don't want him to work on Friday, I want him to be with us".
"I agree. I just think we should tell him".
She got up and headed to the kitchen to find him.
"Walter, are you in here? Oh, there you are".
"Hi Miss Jennifer, I was just about to bring you and Mr. Jonathan a sandwich plate."
"Oh, thank you. Listen, I wanted to tell you something. You are like family to us, you always have been family. We are probably having Pa's services on Friday, and you are more than included in everything. I hired a caterer, not because I don't love your cooking, but because I don't want you working during the service, I want you to be with the family".
"Thank you, Miss Jennifer. It's quite alright".
She carried the tray back to the living room and Walter followed with glasses of tea.
After they ate, Jennifer went upstairs and got her purse and jacket and came back downstairs.
"Honey, I'm going to run to the bank. I want to speak to the manager about dad's accounts. Want to come with me?"
"Sure".
"Walter, we will be back in a little bit. If anyone calls, the service is going to be here Friday, at 1".
"Yes, Miss Jennifer".
They got in the car and headed towards downtown.
"Darling, I don't want to sound negative, but I want you to be prepared. We don't have a death certificate, so the manager may not speak to us".
"Yes, but darling, the manager of this bank is Davy Wilson. He and I grew up together".
"Did you date him too?"
She gave him a sheepish look.
"I was the only redhead in town".
He grabbed her hand and kissed it.
They pulled up to the bank and parked, and went inside.
Davy saw them coming in and came over to her.
"Jennifer, it's so good to see you! It's been way too long".
"Yes, it has. Davy, this is my husband, Jonathan Hart".
The men shook hands.
"Davy, do you have a minute? You are who we came to see".
"Sure, come on in."
They went into his office and sat down.
"How can I help you?"
"My father passed away last night. I was told by his lawyer that he had all of his accounts here. So, I wanted to see if we could get a printout of all the statements for those accounts, and then talk about access. His death certificate has been filed for, by his lawyer."
"I can give you a printout of statements, provided that you send me a copy of the death certificate when it comes in. I cannot just give you access, until we have that on file. However, because he had several different accounts here, I will give you access to one of the accounts, and then grant you access to the rest when the death certificate comes in".
"Thank you".
He printed off the statements and had her sign a few forms, and then slid the statements across the table to her.
"When we get the death certificate, if you would like, we can combine all of these accounts into one. All of his accounts have the same interest rate, so you wouldn't lose anything by moving the money from one account to another."
"Thank you. However, we live in California. So, once I have paid all of his expenses, I plan to transfer what's left to my bank in California".
"We are partnered with Piedmont bank, of Los Angeles. You can access any of your accounts with us, through them".
"That's who we bank with, so that's perfect".
"Very well. Well, please, allow me to offer my condolences. Your father was a very respectable man, and one of our very best customers".
"Thank you, Davy".
Jennifer folded the papers and put them in her purse, and they stood up.
He saw them out and they headed to the car.
"Want to go anywhere else?"
"Not unless you do".
They drove home and pulled up out front.
Jennifer decided to look over the statements and see what was what for as long as she could stand it.
Jonathan went to make them both a cocktail.
When he was out of earshot from Jennifer, he made a few phone calls.
He came back to the living room and sat down next to her.
"Darling, I have to do something very hard, and I don't know that I can. I have no idea how to do this."
