Denny kept the service short, a few hymns, a short reading. Then he announced that Max would speak, waved Max to the pulpit, and stepped aside.

In the front row, Hannah patted Max’s hand. He rose and with deliberate steps walked to the pulpit. This is going to be hard, but there’s no turning back now, he thought. His hands gripped the edges of the podium, which wobbled in his grasp. Anger churned in his belly. He cleared his throat and began.

“Most of you have known me and Bella, God rest her soul, and our son, Zachary, for many years. We’ve passed long, hot summers and bitter cold winters together. We’ve helped rebuild one another’s houses after a fire, and plowed snow so we could exit our homes.” He paused. Good Lord, I sound like a preacher. Get on with it.

“My son, Zachary, was born here. He attended school with your sons and daughters. He grew up in Covington. After his mother died, he packed a bag and left. What most of you don’t know is that he walked away without a word to me or a note to say where he might be going, or when he was returning. He was young, and you can well imagine how I worried and fretted.”

He could see heads nodding.

“Over the years, he sent postcards from ports around the world: China, Russia, Iceland, Malaysia, Hawaii, and many more. ‘I’m fine,’ they would say, or, ‘This is an interesting place to visit.’ Things like that. Nothing about why he left or when he might return.

“And because life must go on, I did just that. I put my son into the hands of the Lord and stopped lying awake at night worrying about where he might be, if he was well and safe. Many years later, one morning there came a knock at the door, and there he stood with a wife. He’d never sent an invitation to his wedding or even an announcement.

“Immediately he let us know that he was not here to stay. He said he intended to live in India with his wife’s family, go into her father’s business. My son told me that he always hated the cows and my lifestyle, and a couple of days later, off he goes. Then for a long time, there’s no word about how he is or what he’s doing.”

A woman coughed. People stared at Max, some with their mouths open. His eyes sought Hannah’s and she nodded.