He kissed her on the forehead. “That sounds perfect.”
“I’ll be right back!” Gabby ran into the office and saved her scholarship application essay to work on in the morning. She grabbed her bag, and they began walking out of the day care.
“So, there’s just one more thing . . .” Tony said as they reached the hallway.
Gabby stopped and looked nervously in his eyes. “What?”
“With my whole dad situation, I’m not asking my parents to help pay for the wedding anymore, so we can’t afford your dream wedding.”
She took a deep breath and then pulled him in closer for a kiss. “I don’t care about a stupid wedding anymore,” Gabby said. “All I want is you.”
46
madison
MADISON SHIFTED UNCOMFORTABLY at the podium in the church auditorium, staring out at a sea of expectant faces. She normally didn’t mind public speaking, but giving the eulogy at her father’s funeral was even harder than she’d imagined it would be. She found her mom in the front row and met Connie’s eyes, red and puffy from days of crying. Connie nodded at her and Madison took a deep breath, and then began.
“Thank you all for being here today. As I look out and see how many people are here to say good-bye to my dad, I’m overwhelmed with love.” Her hands were shaking and she gripped the podium tightly. “And I know he’s looking down and loving all of this, too—probably with a drink in his hand, a cigarette in his mouth, and that huge smile he got when he was happy, like when the Saints scored or when he’d catch a monster fish.”
The crowd laughed, loosening the vise around Madison’s heart. She attempted a smile and started again, the words coming more slowly. “If you knew my dad—which I’m assuming you did because why else would you be spending your Saturday morning here?—you know that he was a great guy. What I’ve seen throughout my life—and what I’ve heard from a lot of you over these past few days—was that he always had a way of making everyone around him feel special. When he listened to you, it felt like you were the most important person in the world to him. Everyone loved talking to him because he gave the best advice—in his straight-shootin’, no-nonsense kind of way, of course. So, with that in mind, I’d like to share a few of my favorite Allen Blanchette words of wisdom.”
Madison looked back into the crowd and saw Claire, Laura, and Gabby seated together in the second row. They gave her encouraging smiles. Her eyes shifted to the row behind them, and that was when she saw George, wearing the same dark suit he’d worn to their wedding. After everything she’d done, he was here, paying his respects to her father. Gratitude welled up inside her and she cut her eyes away from him and back to her speech, clearing her throat.
“One. You get what you pay for. This especially applies to fishing gear and lawn mowers.” The mourners laughed again and Madison smiled along with them.
“Two. Find the good in everyone. People come into your life for a reason, even the ones you can’t stand. He recited that one over and over again during the season Tommy O’Hare was traded from the Cowboys to the Saints.
“Three. Be kind to others. But if someone’s not kind to you, it’s okay to give them a taste of their own medicine. This one goes out especially to that mechanic who thought it’d be cool to rip him off in ’97. May his business rest in peace.
“And four. Family is the most important thing in your life. Not money. Not career. Not that shiny new boat, however much happiness it will bring you. If you can go home every night to people who support you and love you unconditionally, you’ve won at life. And that, my friends, is why Allen Blanchette is wearing a gold medal up in heaven right now.”
? ? ?
AFTER THE FUNERAL, Madison stood helplessly in the kitchen, looking around at all the deviled eggs and casseroles and cellophane-wrapped loaves of bread on the counter. People were starting to come over for the reception, and it was nice of everyone to bring food, but no amount of carbs or sweets or comfort meals would bring her dad back to life.
“Hey, you,” Claire said softly as she, Gabby, and Laura entered the room. The girls were all wearing black: her cousin had on a cap-sleeved frock and a simple pearl necklace; Gabby wore a long cotton halter dress and covered it with a gray cardigan even though it was ninety degrees outside; and Laura had donned a dark tea-length skirt and top.
“Gosh, you all look beautiful,” Madison said, hugging each of them. “You should go to funerals more often.”
The girls smiled awkwardly at her joke.
Laura pushed some things around on the counter to make room for her large bowl. “How are you doing?”
“It’s tough,” Madison confessed. “But luckily I have enough fried okra to get me through the rest of my life,” she said sarcastically, pointing to all of the containers of food.
“Well, when you need a break from the okra, I brought some homemade chocolate chip cookies,” Claire said, holding up a silver tin wrapped in a black bow.
“And peanut butter brownies . . .” Gabby said, setting an aluminum pan on the counter.
“Yeah . . . and a vat of homemade mashed potatoes,” Laura said guiltily. “And by homemade I mean like six boxes of the instant kind.”
“Thank you girls so much for coming. Even if your goal is to make me fat.” Madison smiled. They had been there for her every day with texts and hugs; Madison didn’t know how she would have gotten through this without them.
Claire put her head on Madison’s shoulder. “The funeral was beautiful. How’s your mom doing? I only got to say hi to her briefly.”
“You know . . .” Madison shuffled her bare feet on the floor and tugged her black shift dress. “She’s handling it as best she can.” She paused and leaned on the counter. “It just . . . it just doesn’t seem real. I feel like he’s in the other room, entertaining everyone with his stupid jokes.” She cracked a smile and then frowned. “But he’s not. He’s gone. And there’s nothing that can bring him back. It’s like a nightmare.” She paused, tearing up. “I feel like I’m living a nightmare right now, but I’m never going to wake up.”
“Oh, sweetie,” Gabby said, rubbing her arm. “We’re here for you. Anything you need.”
“Thank you,” Madison said, forcing a smile and rubbing the tears away. She’d always had a hard time being vulnerable, even with the people she loved most. “You don’t know how much it means to me, y’all being here and all.”
“We wouldn’t have missed it for anything,” Laura said softly. “Like Gabby said, we’re here for you.”
Madison nodded and tried to shake the tears off. “Okay, I just need a moment. Why don’t y’all go on in,” she said, pointing to the living room. “And I’ll be out there in a few.”