Page 167 of Embracing the Change

Most awkwardly, when the pastor opened it up, no one came forward to say a few words about Jeff.

I had not met the man, nor had I heard a single word that was positive about him.

But I couldn’t help but feel a sense of melancholy at this indication of a life so wasted.

I hoped, after it was over, we could get out and huddle in order to invite Patricia, Reid and Greer to enjoy the rest of the day with us. Or try to.

But Patricia had other ideas.

She got up and marched to her father, demanding, “I get it with me. You didn’t have much use for women if they had a brain in their head or you couldn’t sleep with them.”

I pressed my lips together and watched AJ’s face get red, Paloma’s eyes narrow (ah, there was the Paloma I knew), but Patricia was far from done.

“But three of your grandchildren are standing right here, and you haven’t said boo to them.”

“They’ve all been disinherited,” AJ retorted.

“Disinherited from what? Word I hear, you got a load of bupkis to lay on top of your other load of bupkis,” Patricia shot back.

It was official.

I wouldn’t pick the man’s son’s funeral as optimal timing for the messages she had to share.

But I liked her.

“I don’t need this from you. I’m burying my son today,” AJ snapped.

“Like you give a shit,” Patricia was far from done. “The only one you cared about was Andy. Spoiled him so bad, he was useless in life, and died a useless death.”

As an aside, AJ had another boy, his oldest. An inveterate playboy who died while on a yacht in Greece. He’d become inebriated, fell, hit his head then hit the sea. The only saving grace he’d had in his life was being unconscious while he drowned.

“One of the best days of my life was when you moved to a different continent,” AJ returned.

“Thanks, Pop. Worked hard to make you proud,” she sneered.

AJ turned to Paloma, and it wasn’t the first time I noted what an odd pair they were, and this wasn’t only that she was young enough to be his daughter.

She was tall and slender; he was round and squat. She was still a stunner; his personality wasn’t the only unattractive thing about him.

She must be in hell.

“Let’s go, baby,” AJ muttered.

“That two hundred K…” Jamie started.

Both AJ and Paloma turned to Jamie, but I thought it was interesting only Paloma paled.

“Waste of your failing resources,” Jamie finished.

“What are you talkin’ about?” AJ demanded.

Jamie tipped his head to the side as this new development unfolded, before he suggested, “Ask your girlfriend.”

AJ looked up at Paloma.

“Let’s just go, my love,” she mumbled.

AJ stared hard at Paloma as Paloma worked hard not to meet any of our eyes, including AJ’s, and she practically dragged the old man down the aisle.

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