As the three women sat there discussing what had transpired, it occurred to Sister that Tedi had seen more of the world than either she or Alice ever would. However, when you reached a certain age, even if you never left the county into which you were born, you’d usually seen most of what the human animal can do for good or evil. And you also realized that most humans were so busy defending themselves and their version of reality that they missed the nose on their own faces. They hadn’t the energy to change or grow, diverting it into a lonely self-centeredness. Truly intelligent people learned from others and from history.
“It’s so peaceful here,” Alice said.
“Yes, I come here often. Sometimes Inky, the black fox, visits here. She sits and looks at me. I sit and look at her.”
“Foxes,” Tedi mused, then touched Sister’s hand. “What went through your mind when you were chasing Ken?”
“I don’t know exactly.” She studied the hound sculpture. “Well, maybe in a way I do.” Sister stopped, then smiled at Raleigh, Rooster, and Golly snoozing in the shade of the statue.
“Janie?” Tedi raised her eyebrows. “What were you thinking?”
“Just that I needed to catch him. But then once he was down I thought of Hotspur. You might remember his lines: ‘And I can teach thee, coz, to shame the devil, / By telling truth: tell truth and shame the devil.’ ”
“Shakespeare and I aren’t well acquainted.” Alice smiled.
“Henry IV, Part I, Act III, Scene I,” said Tedi, who recognized Sister’s source. “I have to show off my expensive education from time to time.”
“Well, it’s over and we have to get on with our lives. I’d give anything to have Guy back, but what I do have is memories, and maybe a new way of looking at things. I intend to honor my son, not mourn him.”
“Well said.” Tedi felt the same way about her daughter.
“You know what I think? I’ve probably known it in the back of my mind, but not so I could say it.” Sister gazed in wonder at tiny dancing particles suspended in a ray of light. “To wantonly destroy life is a sin, a stain, an affront to every one of us. I believe, with my heart and soul, that all life is sacred. That, it seems to me, is a truth that would shame any devil.”