As she stood there, she felt that at this ceremony not only were her mother’s ashes being immured, but she was also silently walling off her own dependency on any man who would keep her from the fullness of her own life and expectations. Her mother had had to pass through death and demolition by flame to reach release. What rigor would she have to undergo? Whatever it was, she prayed, let me come out alive and whole. She looked at Weezy and was surprised to see her crying.

At the end, Tina went up to her father and embraced him. “That was beautiful, papà,” she said. He went around and shook hands with those who were there. Tina singled out Angela, who was wearing a flowery dress and high white kid boots. They embraced and Angela murmured “mia cara” with feeling. From her bag she drew an envelope and said in an undertone, “This is what I received for the jewelry. Everything can be done tonight if you’re ready.”

“Tonight?” Tina repeated, startled. “Yes, why not? Shall I come to your place?”

“That would be the best . . . I’ll accompany you to the appointment.”

Tina took the envelope and glanced at it. “L 300,000” was penciled on it. That’s all there was from the jewelry that had been left to her and Weezy.

Tina spoke to the Agostinis and some others and then found herself next to Jason.

“Are you all right?” he asked, looking apprehensive.

“Perfectly.”

“I mean . . . you know, what you told me the other night.”

“That will all be taken care of. Tonight, actually.”

Jason looked worried, concerned, and took her hand. “Will you be all right? I mean, Jesus, Tina, I want to help if 1 can.”

“Thanks, Jason. You can help—wait for me to go to Greece.”

“You can count on it!” He embraced her, and she clung to him, feeling strength in him. “Can I call you tomorrow?” he whispered.

“I want you to.”

Jason left with the others, and her father went into the office of the cemetery superintendent to see to various documents and other business matters. Tina walked with Weezy to the old part of the cemetery to the site of Keats’s grave. Weezy picked some little field daisies from the patch there. “I want to take these back to her,” she said. “I want to tell her I’m sorry for how I was the day when we were here together.” She blew her nose and wiped her eyes.

“She knows, Weezy, she knows,” Tina said. “I wish I had brought some of the shells from her bookcase. She loved the sea and the sun and was her happiest there.” The shells were those picked from the beach on the day Tina had first met Massimo with her mother.