The 50-Dollar Urn

I had just brought the finished urn out to the worktable when Doug Hadley walked in with his new wife, Trish Grady, and a handful of neighbors.

Trish glanced at the urn, and her eyes went wide. "What? An urn for only 50 dollars? What is this, scrap wood?"

I was irritated, but I kept my voice even. "It's solid ebony. We're neighbors, so I sell it cheap. I'm not making a profit on it."

Trish pressed a hand over her mouth, her voice thin and shrill. "Solid ebony? That might fool someone who doesn't know any better.

"Bridget, just because we're all neighbors and nobody wants to call you out doesn't mean you can just make things up. Anyone can tell this is plywood with a coat on it. It's five dollars' worth of material, tops."

I stopped short. Five dollars? That would not even cover the cost of plywood.

Doug jabbed Trish with his elbow. "Don't talk about things you don't understand. Bridget's a carpenter. She makes these herself and only charges for materials, so of course, it's cheaper."

Trish rolled her eyes. "My cousin runs a casket shop. A proper ebony urn goes for at least 2,000 dollars."

She pulled out her phone and scrolled to a photo. "Don't believe me? See for yourselves."

Gail Fenwick looked at me carefully before speaking up. "Going by this photo, it does look like Trish's cousin carries higher-end stuff. Maybe you could clear things up for everyone, Bridget? If you don't explain, nobody's going to feel right about buying."

When I said nothing, Trish let out an awkward little laugh. "Oh, my bad. I shouldn't have stepped on your business like that. I just don't want to see anyone get ripped off. You only die once, right? Who doesn't want the best for their parents?"

Hank Morin, who lived across the yard, nodded with tears in his eyes. "My mom's been fighting cancer for over two years now. She doesn't have much time left. Of course, I want her taken care of when she goes."

Trish cleared her throat. "How about I take you all to my cousin's place and have the urn custom-made?"

She put a hand on her chest. "Top quality, I guarantee it. I'll get him to bring the price down to 1,500 dollars for everyone."

Gail was nodding before Trish even finished. "I say we go to Trish's cousin. Bridget won't even explain herself. She's obviously using cheap wood and pocketing the difference."

Hank was quick to back her up.

I was trembling with anger. They wanted an explanation from me? What was there to explain?