Death & The Single Girl

His hand, I noticed, did not move away.

We stayed on the 25A, passing Glen Cove to make our way out to Long Island. When we passed through the gate and took the long gravel drive up to dad's sprawling house, he politely removed his hand and reached for the umbrella.

"Don't bother. I'll pull into the garage."

Pressing a button as we passed through an archway, the last door in a row of six opened up for us. I slid into the stall, killing the engine as the door closed behind us, sealing us off from the world.

"Do you mind if we don't go in straight away?" I asked.

"Whatever you like," he said diffidently.

I unhooked my seat belt and snuck a glance in his direction. He appeared to be taking in the garage's interior as he replaced the umbrella in the floorboards.

I retook his hand and brought it up to my cheek. "Your hands are cold," I said.

"They tend to be," he said. "Yours are warm."

I kissed his fingertips. "I once read that lots of people find themselves having sex after attending a funeral. It's supposed to be life-affirming or something."

"Yes," he said, suddenly very fascinated by how I was teasing his fingertips over my lips. "You are very beautiful, Marley."

"I think you're kind of beautiful too, Joe."

Our lips came together suddenly as I tossed off my raincoat and struggled over the gear shift. It was a deep kiss that left both of us breathless when we came up for air.

"I shouldn't be doing this," he said breathlessly.

"Yeah," I said. "It's a bit out of character for me, too, if I'm honest."

A tap on the glass caught us both off guard.

We looked to find two blue eyes staring at us through the glass of the driver's side window.

Della, my sister's oldest daughter, smiled, chewing gently on the pad of her thumb.

I rolled down the window. "Hi, Della," I said.

"Mom said to watch for you," she said in her cute 8-year-old voice. "Is this your boyfriend, Auntie Marley?"

"Della, this is Joe," I said.

-💀-

The young girl smiled, taking her thumb from her mouth. "You were sucking on each other's tongues," she said.

"Thank you for the observation," I said. "It's nice to meet you, too, Della."

"I'll go tell mommy you're both here," she said, running to the front of the garage and down past the line of cars and out.

"I've told my sister she needs to put a bell on that one," she said.

I could feel her thighs across my lap. It was not unpleasant, but there was some discomfort.

"Marley, before we go inside--"

She kissed me again. It was warm and hungry and full of passion, and I felt myself melt into her, my arms going around her.

"Later," she smiled. "Plenty of time, right? Your suit is soaked. Maybe we should find you something dry to wear?"

She opened the passenger door of the little sports car and slipped out first. I unfolded myself from the little sports car then reached in for her raincoat to wrap once more around her shoulders. "Plenty of time," I repeated.

We walked through the garage to the door Della had left open. Passing through a mudroom and down a passage, we reached some stairs.

"Come on, up the back way. We'll find you something in Dad's closet. You're roughly the same build, I think?"

She took my hand and raced me up two flights to a serenely lit carpeted hallway and through a door.

"I'm sure he's got something he won't mind you wearing while your stuff dries."

We passed into a suite of rooms and through to a grand bath and closet area. Marley drew open some doors and revealed a large selection of men's clothes, ranging from casual to highly formal.

"Are you certain this is alright?" I asked.

"Not like he's going to show up, is it?" she smiled. "Besides, it's all going to Goodwill eventually."

She selected a dark three-piece suit. "Here, this looks about your size. And it's similar to what you're wearing."

She hung the outfit off a full-length mirror and then passed behind me out of the closet. "Just pass the wet things out to me, and I'll ring for the valet, and we'll have them steamed and pressed."

"Okay," I said, unbuttoning my own jacket.

I shrugged out of the water-logged coat and shirt and then unfastened the trousers and let them pool at my feet. I pulled the undershirt over my head and turned to look at myself in the mirror.

I seldom considered my appearance when taking human form. I was pale and gaunt, with my forelock sticking to my forehead.

"Do you need a towel?" Her voice called from the other room.

"If you have one?" I called back, turning away from my reflection.

Her hand appeared around the door holding a large cream-colored monogrammed towel.

"I am resisting the temptation to peek at you."

"Why?" I asked, taking the towel with one hand and her wrist with the other. I pulled her into the closet, watching her eyes dip down.

"Wow," she said. "Aren't we bold?"

"You don't like me?"

"No, it's not that. In fact, I would really like to continue what we started in the car," she said. "But Della has no doubt reported our arrival, and if we start now, we're bound to be found and interrupted again."

"I see," I said, leaning in to smell her skin. There was coffee from the diner, some wisp of perfume, the rain. I kissed her earlobe.

I felt her hands move from my waist to my hips, and then she helped me out of my black undershorts, crouching low to gather them up as I stepped out of them one foot at a time.

I felt her mouth move forward and then... as she began to suck, my hand went to the back of her head, fingers gripping her thick dark hair, pulling her forward until I felt her softly cough around my girth.

The feeling of warmth as she rocked back and her tongue danced around the head of my member.

Her hands came up and pushed me gently away, grunting. "You're killing me, stud. Get dressed?"

She took my damp clothes and stood.

I refused to let her go. I leaned into her, kissing her, tasting myself upon her warm, moistened lips.

"More, please?" I begged. "Please?"

"You're hard to say no to, but I have to put in an appearance downstairs."

She left the closet. Something inside me ached to watch her move away from me.

This was Lust.

I shuddered, pushing the want for her mouth away.

(Damn, that is strong.)

I shook my head and dressed in the clothes she had provided, finding a pair of simple black oxfords at the back of the closet.

I ran my fingers through my damp hair and sighed.

(Less drowned rat, more embalmed stock-broker.)

When I stepped out, she was waiting at the door of the suite smiling.

"What?" I asked.

"You look so... " Her bottom lip went between her teeth and then she exhaled. "It's very smart on you."

"You're obviously hard up for dates," I smiled.

"Granted it's not the latest Armani," she said, moving over to take the loose ends of my tie. "Single or double Windsor?"

"What do you think looks best?"

Her fingers twirled the ends of the tie. "Dad always thought the double made his neck look fat," she smiled, sliding the tie knot up firmly.

"Ouch," I said, putting two fingers between my Adam's apple and my collar.

"I can be aggressive, too," she smiled.

"Ms. Marley! There you are!" a voice said. "A sad day, of course, but I swear Ms. Susan is going to be the death of me

A small stout woman in a cook's uniform entered the room and kissed Marley on her cheek. "Thank God you're here to help me cope. Oh," the little woman noticed me. "And who is this then?"

"Joe Black. This is Mrs. Campbell. Is Susan trying to party plan again?"

"Nothing is up to snuff with that woman. Were it not for the little ones and your brother-in-law, I'd take my butcher's knife to her."

"Susan was an event planner in a former life," Marley explained. "She does realize it's a funeral reception, right? Not likely to get a write-up in Fortune or Better Homes?"

"There you are!"

I turned to see a woman in black with a white silk blouse entering carrying a baby on her hip.

"Whatever she's been telling you, it's an exaggeration, Marley."

"I take no sides," Marley said, kissing first the woman then the baby she held. "How is little Willa today?"

"About ready for her nap, actually." The woman handed the baby off to Marley and looked at me. "Della said you'd brought a friend. How do you do, Mister...?"

"Joe," I said. "Marley said it would be okay if I came. It is okay, isn't it?"

The woman forced a smile. "She never brings anyone home for family dinner and never brings a plus one for parties or social functions. But for Daddy's funeral, she brings a man."

"A very handsome man," Marley added. "And this cute little one isn't at all sleepy. Right, Willa? My newest niece is ready to start standing on our own, right?"

"Drew is looking for you. I'm supposed to take you directly to the study when you show up."

"War room, huh?" Marley shook her head and then looked from the baby in her arms to me. "Joe, would you mind holding her a minute?"

Before I knew it, the baby was passed into my hands, and its mother was leading Marley away.

The cook smiled. "Follow me, Handsome. I'll set you up in the kitchen."

"I... uh... Alright, then." I followed the little cook down the hall and down the back stairs to the kitchen.

"I'll fix her a bottle," Mrs. Campbell said. She directed me to a kitchen table with chairs.

I sat, doing my best to hold the baby in a way that seemed natural.

She looked up at me, her blue eyes wide in fascination. She seemed to say, "you're not like the others."

"No," I said. "I'm different. Very astute of you to notice, Willamina."

She blinked, and then Mrs. Campbell arrived with the bottle of baby formula and a jar of something. The baby, upon seeing the jar, lit up, reaching with expectant hands.

"Yes, I brought a treat for the Little Miss."

She unscrewed the Jar and presented me with a spoon. "Feed it to her slowly, and she'll love you forever."

"What is it?" I asked, taking the spoon and awkwardly working some of the thick brown substance out of the jar.

"Laura Scudder's, dear."

My expression obviously hinted at my confusion.

"Peanut butter. Don't tell her mother, but it's her favorite."

I nodded, offering the spoon to the little thing bundled in my arms. The child brought her gums around it, smiling and burbling as she gummed the spoon clean.

"How about you, dear? Care for a spoonful?"

I nodded as the baby finished her treat with gleeful giggles before accepting her bottle of formula.

Mrs. Campbell handed me a fresh spoon of my own, loaded with the brown substance.

I popped it in my mouth and pulled the spoon out clean.

"Aock," I coughed, gagging as it was thicker than I'd anticipated, and it stuck to the roof of my mouth.

After a moment of choking, I then worked my tongue through the thick gooeyness. Once my eyes stopped watering and I figured out how to breathe, I found myself smiling at the little cook.

"Good?"

I nodded, handing her the spoon.

"More?"

I nodded intensely.

She gave me the whole jar and then moved back into the bustling of the busy kitchen.

When I was sure nobody was paying us any mind, I leaned down to look the baby square in her face.

"This stuff is marvelous!"

The baby cooed, kicking its feet and reaching for my second spoonful.

"Alright," I said. "We'll take turns, then?"

Willa took her second spoonful and watched me, once more signaling that she was very much aware I wasn't quite human.

"Alright, I suppose I can tell you since we've bonded over the Scudder-butter? You, Willamina Ann Jacobs, will live to see 12 of your 20 great-grandchildren graduate from high school. Most of them will go on to college. The first man you marry will break your heart, but then after that first marriage ends, you'll meet someone who'll help you mend. You'll go around the world 26 times, many of them by sailboat, for sailing with your second love will be among the greatest thrills of your life. When I do eventually come for you, you'll have long, fine white hair and eyes just as blue as they are now. But you'll not remember us ever meeting."

The infant pushed the spoon from her lips and smiled. I wiped her lips with the edge of her blanket, then kissed the tip of my finger to press to her lips.

A presence to my right drew my attention. The young girl who had interrupted Marley and me in the garage presented a teapot and some China cups.

"Do you want to have a Tea Party with Willa and me?" Della asked. "You have to hold her teacup for her as she tends to spill."

I looked at Willa, who clapped her pudgy little hands.

"Willa certainly seems to want to," I said.

"I like Lady Grey. And we have to play in the sculpture room as I'm trying to draw a picture."

I nodded. "Lead the way, then."

Della took her teapot and cups to Mrs. Campbell and pointed to Willa and me.

"You have to forget, now," I whispered to Willa. "Life is only fun if it's all a surprise."

-M-

My father's study had never once looked like a Hollywood interpretation of a rich man's study. It had mahogany and brass, but beyond that, it was a repository for file folders, periodicals, and acres of table and desktop space where the old man had hopped from pillar to post on evenings he managed his newsrooms and editors from home.

We approached the slightly ajar outer door to the sound of Drew on the phone.

"Yes, Bruce. It's just a matter of a few signatures, and the board will fall in line. No, I can handle her. She's barely interested in the company as it is. Give her enough to open a new children's mercy wing at the hospital, and she'll purr like a cat. Okay, got to go. she's already a half-hour late to this thing. I might have to call out the mounties."

He laughed as I pushed the door from ajar to open, putting my hands in my skirt pockets.

"Listen, Bruce. I'll give you a ring later, okay? Best to Karen. Bye."

He cradled the receiver as I walked into the study proper, nodding at Susan as she left, shutting the door.

"Bruce? As in Bruce Odenkirk?" I asked. "Odenkirk Media?"

"The very same," Drew said, getting up from dad's chair. "Before you say anything, Mar. Hear me out."

"A man Dad said was personally responsible for turning news into infotainment and selling public opinion as a commodity?"

"Mar, he's been after Jacobs Communications for years...."

"I recall Dad saying he would cut off his own arm to use as a club to beat Odenkirk to death, or at least to see if he could jar loose some hidden human decency."

"See, I knew you wouldn't listen. You're not seeing the big picture here, babe. Big Bill is gone. And half the board for the last 10 years has been begging him to at least consider an offer from Odenkirk. You don't have a family, Mar. We sell to him, our stock values quadruple. I can give Susan and the girls a future that's secure. My grandchildren's grandchildren will want for nothing. And you? You can be a female Albert Schwitzer, goddamnit! Build ten hospitals, give vaccines to the poor."

"Bruce Odenkirk could build hospitals and vaccinate the poor, all while building infrastructure and housing, funding medical research, and sending half the population to college, Will."

My brother-in-law crumpled a piece of paper from Dad's desk and tossed it angrily in the trash.

"And he'd still have enough for his own space program," I added. "Money isn't everything, Drew. Dad always said the main purpose of the news was to give people the facts and let them determine their own sense of the truth. Bruce Odenkirk sells the truth to the highest bidder without bothering with facts. You know it, I know it, and Dad left me controlling shares and a seat on the board to make sure you never forget what he stood for."

"Always dutiful. Never standing up to him, obedient even in death."

"I never had to stand up to him, Drew. He was usually right. You're the one who tried throwing tantrums and bullying to get your way. It didn't work on Dad, and it's not going to work on me. You want to tell Susan I'm a pathetic little spoiled princess, go for it. But can't we put this to bed and just get through today?"

Drew sighed. "Fine. I'll kiss off a multi-billion dollar deal just to be civil with my sister-in-law."

"What about Odenkirk?"

"What about him?"

"You just told him the deal was practically done. What happens when you tell him I'm not in, not for a dozen hospital wings?"

"Fuck him." Drew shrugged. "The big guy who sells the big lie can afford to buy a little one from me, right? Let's go gather up Susie and the girls, huh? Give Big Bill Jacobs a proper send-off?"

I brought my hands out of my pockets and touched my bottom lip. "I should warn you," I said. "I brought a date."

"To a funeral?"

I shrugged. "It's a weird day. And he's... you'll understand when you meet him."

"Knowing you," he said, walking over to clap his large hand on my shoulder. "He's like a British Sportscar. Grade-A handsome, stylish, but has faulty wiring."

"Hey, at least I drive myself, Captain Car-Service."

-💀-

"So you see," I continued, taking my fifth spoonful of peanut butter as Della poured more tea for her baby sister and me. "Orpheus got all the way back from the heart of the underworld without once looking back to see if his love was behind him."

"What if she'd gotten in trouble?" Della asked.

"He couldn't know. That was his torment for having entered the underworld uninvited. He had to have faith in what Hades had promised."

"So they lived happily ever after, then?"

I winced, pausing my pencil movements over the drawing pad. I looked up at the marble bust of Orpheus and sadly shook my head. "He came so close," I said.

"So what happened?" Marley's voice piped up from behind me on my right. "And what are you eating?"

I turned to find her walking out of the shadows into the circle of light that accentuated the priceless sculpture. "Peanut butter," I said around a mouthful, smiling in spite of myself. "Care for some? It's quite good, actually."

Marley laughed, wiping the corner of my mouth. "I can tell."

A man, her brother-in-law, joined us. "A grown man who acts like he's never had peanut butter, eh? Brilliant find."

"Dad, Auntie Marley, you interrupted Mr. Joe's story!"

"Oh, my apologies, Della," Marley said, crouching and pouring her own cup of tea. "Proceed, Mr. Joe."

Baby Willa squealed, clapping her hands.

"Well," I said, resuming my seat at the little bench and continuing my drawing as Della sipped her tea. "They reached the ferryboat at the edge of Styx, the river separating the land of the living from the dead. And as they crossed, Orpheus could not look back as the lost souls of the river tried to reach into the boat and pry poor Eurydice in with them."

"I bet she was scared."

"They both were," I said, using the edge of a finger to blend the drawing. "Well, they made it across to the shore of the living. And Orpheus stepped one foot out of the craft and upon the shore, turning to reach his hand out for Eurydice, just to steady the boat for her."

"No!" Della gasped.

"You've heard this story before," I teased.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "But he wasn't supposed to look back until--"

"That one foot still in the boat broke his promise to Hades, and his beloved Eurydice paid the price, snatched back into the depths of Tartarus forever."

I finished the drawing just as I finished the story, presenting the image of Orpheus reaching for Eurydice as the blackness kept her perpetually out of reach.

"Kind of a weighty subject matter for an 8-year-old, isn't it?" The girls' father said.

"I couldn't help it," I said, standing and straightening my tie. "She was trying to sketch a picture of the statue and calling him 'the harp man.' "

"Joe told me that it's actually a Lyre," Della said. "And Orpheus used it to lull the hounds of Hades to sleep."