It was after 2:00, when Trina finally fell asleep. June went and tucked her into bed, and came back down, she knew Connie was itching in her skin to hear about everything, but June didn't want to talk about it in front of Trina. They kept the conversation light, through lunch, and then they watched "Cars." June was sure to pick a movie with no bad guys or monsters.

She came back down stairs, she didn't see Connie in the living room, so she went into the kitchen. Connie had just finished making tea for both of them, and headed to the dining table.

"Come on, June, it's time to talk." The look on Connie's face showed she wasn't going to take "No" for an answer.

June loved Connie dearly, but sometimes, she could be a bit scary. She started to tell about everything that had happened since that first phone call. Connie sat quiet through the whole thing, shocked at what she was hearing, and furious because she wasn't able to be with June through it.

"He said he was falling in love with me, can you believe it? I mean look at me, I'm a complete mess right now, how could anyone be falling in love with me?" She remembered how sincere he looked when he was standing in the doorway, telling her how much he cared for her.

"I don't know, Junie, it's terrible timing, don't ya think? I mean, he could just be wanting to take advantage of you, since you're vulnerable right now." Connie was always skeptical of men, which is why she didn't stay with any one too long. She had been hurt too many times when she was younger, which is why she far preferred using men, and disposing of them.

"No, see that's just it. I actually, sort of asked him to sleep with me," Connie's eye brows shot up, staring at her in disbelief. "but he refused. He didn't want to be with me that way, and said now, was definitely the wrong time for it."

Connie shook her head, probably just another line, to make June chase after him. She was close to believing that Garrett was one of the good ones, they had actually been together for ten years, and still seemed to have a good relationship, but now, this.

"I keep thinking about him, and I shouldn't be right now. I have to arrange Garrett's funeral. I don't even know what to do, or who I'm supposed to invite. I guess I should call his mother. Somehow, she is going to find a way to blame me for this." Garrett's mother had never like June. She was a single mother, and it had always been just the two of them. She felt that June stole Garrett away from her, and was still mad about it. She never called or visited, and she certainly never made time to see her only grandchild. June never got over that. She was okay with Roberta Greene refusing to see her, but how could she hold it against Trina? It had been about seven years since June had last spoken to Garrett's mom. She took a deep breath, and called her.

Connie held June's hand while she told Garrett's mother about his death. Connie could hear the wails of sorrow, then the yells of anger. June held her hand tighter, and finally hung up on her mother-in-law.

June was crying into Connie's shoulder.

"She's a monster! How can she say those things, doesn't she realize I'm hurting, too? I knew she would blame me, I thought I was prepared for it," she was shaking all over now. "She actually had the nerve to say I had it planned since the beginning. I loved Garrett, with everything I am, I loved him." She was breathing in deep, to try to stop the tears, but it only made it worse. "Even, with everything that's happened, and everything I have found out about him, I could never hate him. He gave me Trina, and I will always love him for that."

For a moment, June thought that at least one good thing had come of Garrett's death, she will no longer have to be related to his mother. Then, she cried even harder, hating herself for thinking such a terrible thought.

"Shhh, you don't have to feel bad about not liking her. I'm sure it bothers you, since Garrett is gone, I'm sure you feel obligated to try to understand her. I know you , June. But, she was always a whack job. She never even saw Trina after she was born. She's a cold, heartless, bit..." June snapped her head up and looked at her, "Sorry, but listen, she doesn't deserve your sympathy, or even a second thought, okay?"

"Do you know, I never told Garrett about the letter she sent me when we told her I was pregnant? She wrote that I had been unfaithful, and was pregnant with another man's child, because there was no way Garrett would father a child with a bastard like me. I wasn't of the right kind of thoroughbred bloodline for her. I was furious when I read that letter. You know how long we had been trying, and it finally worked. I actually thought about going to her house, to have some words with her, but I figured it wasn't worth it. She's the type who always gets the last word in, and I knew she had more foul words in her repertoire. I would have been hurt worse than she was."

"Put her out of your mind, she's not worth even one more thought. So, what's your plan for the funeral? No church, I hope." Connie knew it was a horrible subject, they needed to talk about it, though, plus it would get her mind off of her mother-in-law.

"Yeah, umm, I don't know. I mean, I signed a thing at the Coroner's office to have him transferred to a funeral home, I guess I should go there and figure out what comes next. Will you stay here with Trina, so I can go? I don't want to take her there, not yet, at least."

"Yes, Junie, of course! Don't worry, Trina and I will watch movies, play, and be just fine. Are you sure you can do this by yourself?"

June shrugged her shoulders, "No, but what choice do I have?" She went to the bathroom to wash her face, and gathered her purse, hugged Connie, tightly, and left.

She looked at the address on the transfer paperwork from the Coroner's office, and drove to the funeral home. She pulled into the parking lot about twenty minutes later. There were several black limousines, parked behind a shiny black hearse. Oh, goodness! She hoped she didn't interrupt the funeral in process. She didn't want to have to deal with anyone else's grief, when she was struggling with her own. She saw there were large double doors in the center of the building, but off to the far right side, there was a single door, and a sign above it that said "Clients."

She parked towards the side, and headed to the single door. She took a deep breath, and slowly let it out before she opened the door. When she walked in, she had to blink a few times, until her eyes adjusted. The lights were dim, and the paint was a deep burgundy. A middle-aged woman wearing a conservative black pants suit, looked up from her desk and smiled softly at her.

"Hi, miss, can I help you?" Her voice stayed soft and steady, almost somber.

"I think so," another deep breath, "I need to arrange the funeral for my husband, I have the paperwork, showing he was transferred here." She let the breath out, again.

"Yes, miss, if you could give me your husband's name, I will call an Assistant Director to come and talk with you, and go over ceremony options." Again, that slow, smooth voice. June didn't know if it was supposed to be soothing, but it just grated on her. She simply handed over the paperwork she had, not trusting what she might say.

She waited in an over-sized arm chair for about five minutes before a tall, skinny, pale man approached her. He had on a dark blue suit, the contrast in color to his skin, made him look nearly albino. There was a slight reserved smile on his face. He carried a large notebook under his arm.

"Hello, Mrs. Greene. I'm so sorry for your loss. We, here at Lloyd Stevens Mortuary will do everything we can to make this time easier for you. If it's okay, I would like to walk you through the different services we have available." He pulled another chair next to June's. June merely nodded.

He opened his four inch wide binder, every page was in it's own protective sleeve. Each page was a macabre description of the services within that package, starting from a private cremation which included such things as the cardboard cremation container, and the all natural cremation shroud for the body. With every detail mentioned, June felt her stomach tighten more and more. A few pages in, she was so overwhelmed by the information, she had to run outside, and breathe in some fresh air. June nearly vomited, but managed to keep it down. Her eyes were stinging, and her head was spinning. After a few minutes, she got herself together.

"This is not going to go away, you have to get it over with." She realized she was talking out loud. After a couple more big breaths, she forced herself to go back inside, and face that horrible notebook again.

"Sorry." She said it softly as she sat back down next to the man who looked like he was days away from requiring the services he offered.

"I understand, Mrs. Greene. I know this is hard, please take as much time as you need."

"No, it's been long enough already, please can you just tell me about the funeral services, and burial?" She drew in light breaths, feeling she would breathe in all the death that seemed to emanate from that place.

"Yes, certainly. We offer a memorial service here, and we also have a chapel available if you have religious preferences. We also offer graveside services. Will you be needing a member of the clergy to meet your religious needs?"

"No, thank you, my husband was not a religious man."

"Yes, I understand, but do keep in mind, that this service is for those left behind, to bring comfort to those in mourning. Sometimes, families prefer a priest, it brings them some comfort, and they feel they honored their loved one with a tradition, if nothing else."

June thought about it, what could a clergyman say that could make it any better? Knowing now, that his whole life had been a lie? But, then she thought of Trina, and her undeniable faith, and the words that had touched her so much during the interview with Dr. Blair. If for no one else, she would do it for Trina.

"Yes, maybe a clergyman would be nice. I think I would prefer the graveside service." She didn't know if she would make it through a service, and then have to get to the grave site as well.

"Very well, Mrs. Greene. Now, let me go over the prices, and what the package includes. The Graveside Service package includes the death certificate, signed by a doctor, embalming, grooming-"

"No, please, I don't want to know the details, it's just...it's too much." Her voice quivered a little. The bony man nodded and handed her an example bill, for the service with a three-hour viewing it was about $3000, then an additional $200-$300 for the clergyman. Her hands were shaking when she handed it back to him.

"Now, about the casket. That is not included in the package," he flipped to a different section of the binder, opening to pages filled with caskets in all shapes and sizes. They ranged in price from about $300, up to $10,000. In any style from solid oak, to stainless steel.

"I...I don't know. How about something in the middle?" June thought it seemed strange to spend $10,000 on one, but on the other hand, she knew she couldn't go cheap either. They settled on one that was about $3500.

After that horrid task, they arranged the time for the funeral. It was set to be Sunday at 10:00 AM. The funeral home would put the obituary and service announcement in the paper.

June went out to her car, and cried for a solid ten minutes, with her head leaning on the steering wheel.