The funeral was in Saint James’s Church at ten o’clock in the morning a few days later. I was dressed and wearing bandages on my head and my mother and father and brothers were all around me. My mother and Fannin and my sister-in-law had dressed me and done my hair. “You have to go,” my mother kept saying. “You have to be there.”

“It’s not your fault, Sweet Sister,” my father was saying. “There were brand-new tires on that car. It’s that goddamn asphalt. I’ve been telling them to modernize that road. That old asphalt’s a hazard when it rains.”

“Oh, Daddy, I’m so sorry. I don’t know why you’re all being so nice to me. Someone should be mean to me. I think I was driving too fast.”

“No. You weren’t driving too fast. Ariane, hurry up and finish whatever you’re up to with her hair. Come on, let’s get going.” He had moved out into the hall outside of Momma’s bedroom. My sister-in-law, Annie, was sitting on the bed. Momma was combing my hair. “I want you to go on and sign up to go to the university, Sister. I want you down here near us, especially after this.”

“Then call them up and tell them I’m coming.” I looked at him. He was so good to me, so perfect, he never let anything happen to me. No matter what happened he would fix it. “Tell someone to call and get an application. I made A’s at Vandy, Daddy. I can go to college anywhere I want to.”

“I’ll take care of it this afternoon. Come on now, Sister, let’s get on down to the church and get this over with.” I walked to the door and he took my arm and led me down the stairs and put me in the front seat of his Cadillac with Momma on the other side. My little brothers rode with Dudley and Annie.

When we got to the church, Charles William and Irise were waiting on the sidewalk and walked in with us. The coffin sat on a stand before the altar. The priest intoned the service with tears rolling down his cheeks. “I am the resurrection and the life saith the Lord: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.

“I know that my redeemer liveth: and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and though this body be destroyed, yet shall I see God: whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not as a stranger.”

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