"Is this one all right, Mrs. Cronin?"

It took Mary a moment to realize the funeral director was talking to her. "What? Oh, yes. And it's actually Richards. Mary Richards." At a time like this, she felt the need to use her maiden name for some reason. She could hardly believe this was happening. How was it possible that she was looking at caskets for her husband? She was numb, but she knew she had to go through the motions. Steven had been a Congressman, which meant the funeral would be anything but private. The press would be there, Mary knew. If it hadn't been her husband, she might even be covering the event. But her coworkers had been very understanding. They knew she couldn't be expected to cover the news at a time like this.

"Very well, then, Ms. Richards," the funeral director said. "I know this is a difficult time. I do want to make this as easy for you as I can."

Mary nodded. She knew the man was just doing his job. "Is that everything? I mean, can I go home now?"

"I suppose so. There are other details, but the casket was the most important. Usually, the deceased leaves some indication of his or her wishes, but your husband didn't do that, right?"

"No," Mary replied. "His death was….it was very sudden." He had been working so hard on yet another campaign. He was always dedicated to his job. But, once the election was over, he had wanted to take a trip. For some reason that Mary would never understand, he'd decided to go rock climbing. Some friends had suggested it, and he thought it would be the perfect thing to put his work out of his mind. Mary hadn't wanted him to go. Her husband had never been particularly athletic. But he'd insisted it would be perfectly safe. "It's not like I'll be alone. If anything happens, the guys will be there. It'll be fine." He'd kissed her. Despite her misgivings, Mary knew she couldn't stand in his way. She knew how hard this election had been on both of them. The time apart would probably be good for them. At least, that's what she had thought until she got the phone call. He had had a freak accident, a terrible fall. Paramedics were immediately called in. They rushed him to the hospital, but it had been too late. Just like that, Mary's world fell apart.

Still in a fog, Mary drove back home. Going through this on her own would've been hard enough, but there was also Rose. Mary's daughter was still a teenager. Rose tried to put on a brave face, knowing that her mother was suffering a loss too, but Mary knew Rose was hurting inside.

When she got home, Rose sat at the kitchen table, attempting to do homework. "How was it?"

Mary sighed. "Well, I picked out the casket. The funeral director's going to handle the rest of the details himself. I think he could tell that I wasn't in any shape to decide on flowers or music."

Rose nodded, understanding. "You know, I could've gone with you. You shouldn't have to do this alone."

A sad, humorless laugh came out of Mary. "I guess I should get used to doing things alone from now on."

Rose didn't quite know how to respond to that. There was no way to pretend that there wasn't a void in both of their lives. But then she remembered something. "Oh, you got a couple of messages while you were out. I let the machine pick up. One guy called from California, I think." She shrugged, having no idea who the calls were from.

"Thanks," Mary said. She took a deep breath, walking toward the phone. Even if Rose didn't know who had called, Mary thought she had a pretty good idea. It was a reminder that, a very long time ago, she'd had friends. Those years now seemed like something from another life, but she was grateful for those memories.