Lily had an open-casket funeral, per the instructions in her will. Monica had forced herself to get up and view the body, though every atom in her wanted to stay away. When she finally looked inside, she was jarred by the sight of the stout, dark-skinned woman that lay nestled within the starchy folds of the navy-blue dress. The mortician had done a superb job of concealing Lily’s injuries; she hadn’t looked this good even in life. But to Monica, something was missing. The ineffable quality of her grandmother was gone, and the body within the coffin was merely a beautiful but empty vessel, like a crystal vase void of the rose that had once bloomed within it.

She’s in a better place, Monica thought, and believed it.

But she felt hollow, as if her heart had been cored like an apple.

At some point during the service, Troy had walked out. She didn’t remember him leaving. She had turned to say something to him, and discovered that his spot beside her on the pew was empty. Her mother-in-law, Pat, took her hand, whispered words of encouragement and love.

Troy returned some time later as the pastor was delivering the eulogy. Troy’s eyes were afire. He clasped her close to him and lowered his lips to her ear.

“After the service, there’s someone that you must meet,” he whispered.

She nodded. All she wanted to do after the funeral was go home, collapse in bed, and wake only after this nightmare had ended. The prospect of meeting anyone, of holding a coherent conversation, seemed an impossible burden to bear. Then there was still the burial at the cemetery, and the repast.

She didn’t think she could handle any more of it. But she would do it for her grandmother. That was one lesson Lily had taught her well: how to keep moving forward when life tried to knock you down. She had been emotionally flattened all day, but she was going to see it through, the service and everything else that followed. She owed that to her grandmother. It was her duty.

Pastor Roger Hammond delivered the eulogy. A tall, gray-haired man in his sixties who had known Lily for decades, he was an eloquent speaker. He called Lily one of the “pillars” of the church community who had been gifted by God with the power to inspire, encourage, and nurture, and Monica noticed that nearly every head in the audience was nodding. It brought forth a fresh round of tears from her.