Chapter 60
Chapter 60: The Choice of the Living
I didn't call Anna immediately. She was in Tokyo, leading a presentation for a new sustainable civic center, and she didn't need the dust of the past clouding her achievements. Instead, I called Carter.
He answered from his studio in Chicago, the background humming with the sound of plotting machines and young designers talking. "Hey, Aunt Claire. Everything okay?"
"Carter, I received a call from the state parole office today," I said gently, wanting to shield him from the bluntness of the bureaucracy. "Your mother passed away this morning in Richmond."
The line went completely silent for several seconds. I could hear his steady, rhythmic breathing. When he finally spoke, his voice was tight but clear. "Was anyone with her?"
"No," I replied honestly. "She was admitted as an indigent patient. The state is arranging a public burial because she had no assets left."
Carter let out a long, ragged sigh. "She chose her path, Aunt Claire. She chose it every single day for twenty years. But... she’s still the woman who used to pack my lunches when I was a kid, before the greed completely took over her mind. I don't want her buried in an unmarked state trench. I’ll pay for a private, quiet cremation and a small plot next to the old church outside Richmond. No service. No fuss. Just a quiet place."
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"That is a very honorable choice, Carter," I said. "Do you want me to come with you?"
"No," he said softly. "I need to do this alone. It’s the final bill I’ll ever pay for her. After this, the ledger is closed forever."
