When the Marshes Bid Farewell

Carter Daniels sat motionless on the weathered wooden bench. Tears continued to stream down his youthful face. The sun had all but set and a soft orange glow still hung over the humid summer sky. The night sounds of the marshes were starting to permeate the previously silent surroundings. Frogs, crickets and night birds were making their presence known. Life in the low country could be gentle; it could be harsh. It was never easy. It had been a rough day. Carter was emotionally drained and physically exhausted. "Are you okay Carter?" Mama asked through the screen door. "Yes Mama," Carter replied. "I'll be in shortly. How are y'all doing?" "I'm struggling son," Mary-Ann Daniels said. It sounded like she too had been crying. Today Sam Daniels, a good man, a husband, a father, a friend, had been laid to rest. It had been unexpected. Over a period of four days the Daniels family had been changed forever. The next morning Carter got up as the sun was rising. He had not slept all night. Although not a huge fan of the brew, he made coffee and went out onto the front porch. He was in bare feet and wore a grey T-shirt and striped pajama bottoms. Carter sat staring out as the sun started to rise as a giant orange ball hanging over the marshes. Everything looked normal, but nothing was. Everything was up in the air. So many thoughts ran through his head. Would he still be able to go to college or would Mama expect him to run the store? Could Mama run the store herself? What role would his sister Lisa play in all of this? There were far more questions than answers. It was daylight. There was no chill in the heavy warm morning air. Carter heard his mother rattling around in the kitchen. He went in. “Yesterday mornin’ I was getting breakfast for your daddy,” Mary-Ann said in a faint voice. “Who would’ve thought it would be the last time.” She started to cry again. Carter put his arms around his mother and held her tight. “I guess we never think about such things happening,” Carter said. “Lisa should be here around noon. Then we have the afternoon appointment at Chisholm’s to make funeral arrangements. The funeral, burial and luncheon went smoothly. It was all over before two o’clock. Lisa and her grandparents returned to the house. All would depart that afternoon. Once they had left, Carter went to his room to change out of his suit into shorts and a T-shirt. His mama went to her bedroom to lay down. It was a hot sultry day. A thunderstorm bubbled up just before six o’clock. Carter tried to watch the TV news but found nothing interesting. It was supper time, but Carter had no desire for food. He went back to his room and lay staring at the ceiling. It made little sense, but he was angry at his daddy. How could he just leave them like this? It was not fair. He was also angry at Lisa leaving them so quickly to return to her big city life. Just before sunset, Mary-Ann knocked on his door. “Come on down to the kitchen honey, I’m going to make some soup. I assume you have not eaten. We really should have something.” Carter went down to join his mother. She had opened a can of chunky soup and was heating it up. They said little to each other. Each was deep in their own thoughts. “I’m going to open the store in the morning,” Carter said. “I’ll need to order dairy and bakery items. Anything there will be bad by now. What are we gonna do Mama?” “If that’s what you want to do to get your mind off of all this, go ahead,” Mary-Ann said. “I don’t know what we are gonna do son. My parents told me I should sell the store but right now I will keep it and starting next week I will work there with you. I must meet with Ben Quinn next week. He will go through our finances and our will with me. We do have one insurance policy on your daddy that will pay out. I need to go through the finances of the store and see what kind of income it can generate. Your daddy never really talked to me about money. We never had much but have never wanted for a great deal either. I’ll need your help for a while, Carter.”