I just finished proof reading the galleys of MURDER INK and sending in the corrections. It’s my last touch with the manuscript before it comes out. I had dedicated the book to the memory of my parents and a good friend all of whom had lived in Veronica’s building. It felt very strange to add in memory of my brother to the dedication.
I always feel at lose ends when I let go of the manuscript for the final time. It’s even more so this time what with my brother’s passing and the pandemic. Everything feels a little off. I’ll go back to working on the next Crochet Mystery tomorrow. I left Molly in a whole lot of trouble. She just found out she’s going to be a grandmother thanks to her older son Peter. He and his soon to be wife had an abrupt reversal in fortune and they are forced to move in with Molly. And then of course there’s going to be a murder.
I have to deal with my brother’s affairs. Everything is slowed up because of the pandemic. It took extra long to get a death certificate filed. Now the wait for copies to be sent to me so I can begin trying to straighten things out. At least there won’t be any fighting over stuff since I am his only beneficiary.
There will be more trips to North Carolina to deal with emptying his place, fixing it up and deciding what to do with it. My son will come with me. We’ve already planned to check out the Outer Banks next time we go. It is always nice to have some sweet with the bitter. We are very good at that. Who knows maybe I'll set a series there.
This next trip will be much easier. The worst part was going to his place the first time. I’d never been there before and since he’d been found at home, I wasn’t sure what I’d find. Now at least I’ll know what I’m walking into. And since I had some aftermath cleanup done, it should smell better. I certainly hope so.
I will never know what exactly happened to him, but I think it is the way he wanted to go. He probably woke up one day with no idea that it was his last.
And now it’s up to me to deal with what he left behind. Have mask and hand sanitizer, will travel.
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4 comments:
It is hard to be the survivor. I have been the oldest of my family since I was 58 years old. I have more experience in deathbed sitting, nursing home sitting, hospice sitting, funeral arrangements, burials, headstones, and estates than I ever thought possible. I'm glad your son will be able to go with you. And dying suddenly is how I hope to go! (hugs)
Congrats on finishing MURDER INK. And it's a good idea to have something enjoyable to do, like visiting the Outer Banks, when you continue dealing with your brother's things. Yes, have mask and hand sanitizer, will travel!
Miss Merry, you have been through a lot. It's not that it exactly gets easier through experience, but at least you know what to do. My son has been fantastic and figuring out my brothers stuff. The bad thing about no good bye is that he couldn't tell me his computer's password. I'm with you. I want to live fully up to the last minute. Thank you for the hug.
Linda O. Johnston,
My son is the best person to travel with. We both seem to have a similar happiness set point and manage to have a good time no matter what. My mother was like that, she could make something special out of anything.
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