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tried. She really had tried.
    She found tears coming to her eyes. She forced herself to focus on her new surroundings. There were indeed lots of trees here in Forest Grove. They still stood bare branched from the winter but they promised blossoms soon and lots of shade for the summer.
    Two joggers went by and nodded at her. A couple walking a Great Dane and a bulldog maneuvered by. She moved into the grass, but they were nice and pulled the dogs far from her. “Nice evening for a walk!” they said cheerfully.
    Jasper smiled back. “Yes! Isn’t it?” It was comforting, these little public exchanges. By the time she had passed the swing set on the length of lawn between sidewalk and the cemetery fence which was set well back from the road, and reached the gate to the cemetery, her loneliness had eased.
    She decided to walk a little ways into the cemetery. Forest Lawn it was called, according to the sign at the entrance that displayed a list of rules. Winter hours were 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., she noted. Nothing about springtime. She wondered how diligent the local police were in enforcing this. With a twinge of slight guilt, she followed the red brick pathway inside. She liked the uneven feel beneath her feet of the old paving bricks. She admired the old granite markers and statues. “For Our Soldiers Dead” read the inscription on one that showed four men in Civil War uniforms. None of their backsides showed and they carried canteens and flagpoles to cover the fronts of their pants. Oh God, Jasper thought, have I started to get odd about sex already? Fifteen years of life next to Pastor Tim with little to no sex between them had finally caught up to her now that she was free of him.
    Jasper studied the headstones. Bliss, Key, Peet and Love, she read. Suzannah Reynolds had lived for only 14 days.
    Cemeteries did not sadden Jasper. She felt at home there, curious about the lives lived in other times, liked knowing that in Victorian days families would picnic in the park like settings.
    Forest Lawn had huge oaks growing and Jasper, squinting, could practically see a family in warm weather cottons sitting happily on a blanket. Jasper’s heart panged with Family Envy.
    Before she knew it, she had walked far down the first long brick road. A wave of tiredness washed over her. It had been a long day. She looked for a second gate she might not have noticed earlier but did not find one. Maybe she could climb the fence and shorten her route home. She peeked around but could see no living person. She giggled. She felt so naughty. Then she felt chagrinned at how this little thing was such a big deal to hesr. Her world, until this very day, had shrunk to such a small repressed size. She approached the fence. A chain link one. High enough to keep intruders from hopping over easily but not too tall to climb. In or out.
    There wasn’t anything nearby to stand on since the closest grave markers were at least three feet away. After a moment’s deliberation, Jasper approached the barrier, reached up and grabbed the top rail, then stuck the toe of one shoe inside the metal mesh as far up as her leg would reach. She hiked her skirt up above her knees, then boosted herself up and flung the other leg over the top. She centered herself atop the fence. She’d have to catch her breath and figure out how to extract her foot from the inside hole of the fence before she could drop to the other side. Easier fence climbing probably took practice.
    Then she saw a man walking across the grassy yards of the park between the cemetery and the sidewalk near Milwaukee Road. Her toe was really stuck. He drew closer. Jasper smoothed her skirt down as best she could. She pretended to admire the view from her fence top perch.
    “Hi,” the man said with a friendly smile. “You just hangin’?” He was a handsome dark-skinned man, slim, in jeans and a blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Maybe 40 years old, Jasper assessed.
    Darn it, oh darn it. “Might as