Page 57 of Blue Umbrella Sky

Milt nodded, closing his eyes for just a moment to savor an image of Billy in his head. It was that first time he saw him, when he came to help him out when his trailer flooded. There was someone who cared. He knew too that savoring this image wasn’t wrong. Corky could see it, Milt believed, in his head and approved. Because it made Milt happy.

When he opened his eyes, all he saw was the black grave marker, the dried and yellow grass hidden here and there under patches of dirty snow and ice, and a sky that had turned threatening, with blackish clouds gathering.

The snow began coming down harder.

Milt took one more look at the tombstone and hurried to the car, where he smiled at the vision of Billy asleep in the passenger seat.

As he was reaching for the door handle, he swore he felt, very soft, a gentle kiss planted on the top of his head.

He paused to look up at the sky, and swear to God, the clouds parted for just one moment to reveal a spear of golden sunlight.

And a butterfly, its wings yellow and cobalt blue, fluttered past his vision to disappear into the snow.

He opened the door, and Billy roused, looking over at Milt and smiling. “Okay?”

“Okay. Let’s go.”

Milt started the car and drove off, confidently, into the blizzard.