PART III

Aunt Molly drove up to the Sweet Home church where Bob was to be buried. This was where all the family was; grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins. Though Bob loved living in California, his last wish was to be interred in the red clay of Mississippi where the rest of his family were. Harris had taken care of the arrangements to have Bob flown home, and was waiting for us at the church door. I was very impressed with Harris. He was tall and thin, with a head of thick white hair. He was wearing a white shirt and a pale yellow blazer and navy blue trousers.
He saw me looking at him and chuckled. "Bob wanted me to look cheerful, not mourning at all. We had a wonderful life, no regrets, no mourning today." He shook my hand, then Aunt Vivian's. He hugged Aunt Molly, and hand in hand they went up to the casket (closed.) A photo of Bob taken when he was in his 20's sat atop the casket. Gosh, he was handsome! Harris ran his finger over the photo to remove a fleck of dust; tears in his eyes.
Hardly anyone showed up for the funeral, just us and two of Bob's school chums who probably came sniffing for gossip. None today. ( but wait till they heard about the wedding.)  After the service in the graveyard, Bob and Aunt Molly made arrangements to meet at 10am the next day at the courthouse to get married. Harris was having his belongings shipped to Aunt Molly's house, and would stay in the hotel overnight. Some sort of prudish gesture toward conventionalism.

Next day, Aunt Molly, Viv and myself (I wouldn't have missed it for the world) picked up Harris and his luggage at the hotel and drove straight to the courthouse where they were to be married. From somewhere, Harris had gotten a bouquet of calla lilies for Aunt Molly, and a buttoniere flower for himself. While they were waiting for the judge to come in and do the nuptials, Harris leaned toward Aunt Molly and said "My mother would have been so happy to know I got married at last--and to a woman!" We all burst out laughing. I liked Harris immensely.