"I just wanted to stop and ask if your daddy was okay," she said out the window of a late model Ford Explorer.

     The dog had just stopped to cop a squat. It whined a bit, also annoyed that our neighbor had taken this moment to pull over to the side of the road and ask about the family.

     "He died," I said. "Just after Thanksgiving."

     She pulled her robe tight against her chest with one hand. "I'm so sorry to hear that. Will you be doing anything?"

     "We had a small funeral over the weekend."