Three Days Before the Casket Was Delivered, My Son Asked Me to Sign a Document

“My mother’s been confused for weeks now.”

Paul carried Chloe into the living room, where the open casket stood beneath the floor lamp.

When the stretcher came through, Chloe saw the casket.

The black velvet cloth lay on the floor and the silk lining drooped over the side.

The flowers around it had started shedding petals onto the rug.

“No box,” Chloe said.

Her voice climbed.

“Grandma, no box.”