THE BOSWELL GENE
Parke Sellard


January 2, 1980

Harry was buried this morning in the California desert by the side of a low hill protected by large bushes. There was no tent over the gravesite, no flowers, and no men from a mortuary with their mask-like faces. There was only David and Janet Young.

At first light, David Young left the warmth of the red station wagon, took a shovel, and shut the door behind him. His gray temples glowed softly as he walked to a spot beside the car and started to dig. His wife, Janet, stayed huddled under several blankets inside the car and watched for visitors. She saw no one approach, but noticed David's breath as he worked in the frosty air. She thought he seemed very strong for a man approaching fifty, but the strain of the past few years had made him look much older. After digging for half an hour, he returned to the car, rubbing his hands together vigorously. Janet took a thermos of coffee from the floor beside her feet and poured a cup for him. As he took the cup from her, she asked, "Is this going to do it? Are we going to be free after this?"

He looked at her red eyes and the tears running down her cheeks. "It's got to. We can't stand much more."

"Sorry I've been bitchy the past few months, but..."

David took off his gloves, touched her cheek to calm and reassure her. After a moment, he said, "And I'm sorry I wasn't able to give you the good life I'd promised you when we got married." He took her hand in his. "Honey, you've been so very patient and understanding with me and my problem."

Janet wiped her eyes gently, then asked, "How much longer before you're finished out there?"

"I'm about half finished, maybe a little more."

"Can you rest a while?"

"Better not. We need to get the job done and get out of here," David said, slowly opening his car door. He was so tired he didn't know if he could finish the job. He felt as though he had been through a very long illness, but if they could pull this off, their life could be normal again. He realized much of the sparkle Janet had when he met her back in 1956 had faded, but when this was all over, he'd make it up to her. Yes, if all went well today, he thought, it won't be long before we can leave all of our problems behind.

When the grave was deep enough, he walked over to her side of the car, tapped on her window and motioned for her to come out. He opened the rear door of the station wagon, and together they groaned as they slid the home-built wooden casket out of the car. Then they struggled to push it from behind the car toward the hole.

"I wish I had had time to put handles on it," David groaned, still digging his toes into the sand and pushing the long box to the edge of the hole.

Janet took a few deep breaths and put her hands beside his on the casket. "One more push ought to do it, don't you think, David?" One more push did it.

David picked up his shovel as Janet touched his arm with her hand. "Shouldn't we say a few words over him?"

Continuing to shovel and breathing hard, David snapped, "No! Cover him up first. Grab the other shovel. Gotta get out of here."

Janet bowed her head a bit and said nothing.

"I'm sorry, honey. I'm just, well, we're both just about over the edge." He let his shovel lean against the car as he took her in his arms and wiped her eyes. "Forgive me," he said as he kissed her gently.

When the grave was half filled with dirt, David took a foot-long piece of railroad rail from the car. He pushed the heavy piece of steel into the grave where it landed with a thump. "If we ever need to find the body, we can spot it with a metal detector."

They spent another ten minutes feverishly shoveling dirt into the hole. When at last it seemed filled, they stomped on it to pack it down; then he brushed it with a broken branch to make it appear like the adjacent area.

The grave thus hidden, they put away the shovels and walked to the head of the grave. David took off his cap and put his arm around Janet. They stood silently for a moment, silhouetted against the brightening red sky.

"Harry," David said quietly. "I know this isn't much of a funeral. I know you'd like to rest in Centralia, but I just couldn't manage it. Considering who you were, this is a rotten way to say good-bye. I just had to do it this way, Harry. But I kept my promise to bury you in a full-size casket, and I didn't let some medical school get its hands on you." He turned toward Janet. "Honey."

"I know you couldn't help it, Harry. I know we were the only ones you could turn to. I know I was put out by you at times, but..." She paused, reached into the pocket of her coat, took out her handkerchief and wiped the tears from her eyes. "But I loved you, Harry."

"And you know I loved you, too."

Janet attempted a faint smile, the tears still running down her cheeks. "Harry, I want to thank you for all you did for us, the house, the money, everything. And now that your misery is over..." She turned toward David. "Is our misery over, too?" He nodded yes, and she turned back toward the grave and added, "God bless you, Harry."