Free Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes by Denise Grover Swank

“Are you goin’ to the funeral of that poor woman who was murdered the other night?”
    Her question didn’t surprise me. Murder and mayhem were big news in Henryetta. I nodded.
    She leaned close, half-whispering. “They say her daughter did it. Just bashed her head right in.” She tsked after this.
    My stomach churned. I suspected that was what the entire town was saying.
    “Are you friend or family?”
    I didn’t want to lie but it seemed the best course of action. “Friend.”
    The saleswoman eyed me up and down, tilting her head and squinting her eyes.
    My cheeks began to flush. She knows who I am .
    “You look like you’re a size six, am I right?”
    I suppressed a sigh of relief. “Yes.”
    “I have several things that would work for a cute little thing like you.”
    I looked around to see who she was talking to. I was the only one in the store.
    Handing me several hangers, she led me to a dressing room. I tried on a simple black dress first.
    The saleswoman knocked on the door. “How are you doing in there?”
    Watching myself turn from side to side in the mirror, I was surprised how much older I looked. Surely, Violet would approve. “I think this dress will work. But, uh, do you have something that would be good for the visitation tonight?”
    My request excited the clerk and she returned with several skirts and blouses. With her help, I settled on a pale green skirt and a white sleeveless blouse.
    “Do you have shoes to match?” she asked.
    I paused and that was all the encouragement she needed. She returned with several pair for me to try on. The first were black pumps with two-inch heels. I hoped I could figure out how to walk in them before the funeral the next day. The other was a pair of white sandals. As I slipped them on, I felt a vision coming.
    “Your daughter is sneakin’ out of the house to see her boyfriend at night.”
    The woman appeared startled. “What? How did you know I had a daughter?”
    I shrugged. “Lucky guess.” Thank goodness I was done shopping because she gave me a wary look.
    I paid for my things and drove home, overcome with exhaustion. I wasn’t used to shopping and wondered how people did it all day. I barely lasted a half an hour.
    When I opened the kitchen door, the soft glow of the living room caught my eye. The warmth made me eager to put up the curtains and move the furniture back in. I briefly entertained the idea of asking Joe for help, but his car wasn’t in his driveway. It was for the best. I needed to learn to do things on my own.
    It was early afternoon, and I didn’t have to meet Violet at the funeral home until six o’clock. I had plenty of time to work on the living room. I hung the new curtains and moved the chair and the television back in, trying to figure out how to arrange them. The lone chair looked ridiculous so I decided to bring out a slipper chair tucked in Momma’s room.
    I pushed open the door, the smell of dust and Estee Lauder perfume wafting out. Tears stung my eyes. Momma would never be in her room again.
    I took a deep breath and let my eyes adjust to the darkness. The curtains were pulled shut, her bed made. I hadn’t been in Momma’s room in years and it felt like walking into a museum. I knew at some point I’d have to clean it out, but not now. I couldn't bear to think about it. Right now I only planned to take her chair. The upholstery of ivory with red flowers and green leaves would go perfect in the living room. I scooted it down the hall and placed it next to the other chair. It would work for now, but there was no denying I needed a new sofa.
    I wondered how I could even be considering furniture when Momma lay in a box several miles away.
    Since I stirred up a lot of dust, I took a bath before I dressed in my new clothes. A glimpse of myself in the mirror told me my scraggly hair wouldn’t work with my new outfit. After finding some bobby pins in a drawer, I put my hair in a French roll, something I’d seen Violet