I expected that there was no way Mr. Manor would have an open-casket funeral. Given the extent of the physical abuse he took in his death, I hoped to avoid seeing a battered corpse. Surprisingly, as I stood staring down at his body, I could not detect any work they must have done to prepare him for the viewing. Hair was combed over nicely, moustache was trimmed perfectly, even his fingernails were cut and shaped. His left hand was on top of the right, and they rested almost naturally on his belly. An expensive wedding band was on his left ring finger, and I hoped that wasn’t going to go into the ground with the rest.
Looking him over, I couldn’t help but remember how much I was thankful to him for giving me my job. Everyone needs someone in their life that can help them move forward, and I knew he had done that for me. I heard someone clear their throat, and I turned to see Ms. Cedar smiling with eyes that told me to keep the line moving. After one last glance, I mentally said good-bye and sighed, moving to a pew for the service.
Mr. Manor’s family was sitting in the front, and I passed by, slowly nodding and bowing slightly. Most people were shaking hands and hugging them, but I felt my strange behavior was just as respectful although admittedly odd. You get to know the people you work with but hardly ever get the chance to interact with their loved ones. Getting all touchy- feely with strangers is definitely not my strong suit.
I slid into the same pew as Alison and shuffled down until I was next to her. She was looking down at something, so I said nothing. Looking around, I saw some guy entering with a cowboy hat. He took it off and turned to speak to two kids who were behind him. They definitely did not want to be there any more than I did, but the man urged them forward. Ms. Cedar saw them and waited until they made it through the line.
While I could not hear what they were saying, it was obvious by their interactions that Ms. Cedar knew them well and hadn’t seen them in a long while. She ruffled both boys’ hair and made the usual motions, noting how big they were since the last time she saw them. After a few minutes, they all entered the row behind us, and the whole place grew silent and respectful.
Since I really don’t have much experience with funeral services, I was shocked that it was over rather quickly. What did take long, however, was the ride to the cemetery, standing around the hole, and then waiting for Ms. Cedar to say her good-byes to everyone. Alison was a little standoffish, and I tried several times to engage her in conversation, to no avail.
Finally, I pulled her aside. “What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours?” I asked while she avoided eye contact. “Should I leave you alone?”
She touched my shoulder and looked at me. “Doesn’t all this get to you?”
Pretty much everyone throughout the day had their moments of shedding tears. I came close when I was standing at the casket. A deep sense of respect and appreciation for Mr. Manor never turned into sadness though. Sure, I was going to miss him, but something about remembering him made me feel more empowered and manly. No other person in my life who has died ever gave me this emotion. Maybe my father would have done that if I had bothered to be there in the end.
Thinking that made me well up. With tears now flowing, I saw Alison reaching at my eyes with a used and balled-up tissue. Her blotting my eyes made me burst out laughing, and I hugged her tight. I stopped hugging, but Alison wasn’t letting go, and I felt her sobbing heavily. Standing there awkwardly, I patted her a few times on the back, hoping she would let go soon.
“They are starting to stare,” I said quietly but seriously because some were.
She let go and wiped her eyes as Ms. Cedar approached with the man and his boys. After a round of introductions, it was discovered he was an association management company owner from Nevada. He had known Ms. Cedar and Mr. Manor for a very long time and wanted to personally be there to say good-bye.
He shook my hand and pulled me close. “I heard so much about you,” he said, all the while pumping my arm.
“Hopefully all good, right?” I said, trying to slow the shake and pull away.
He laughed heartily and patted me on the arm when he finally let go. “You come highly recommended to be sure,” he said, growing serious.
“Good to know,” I said, looking at his kids. “Hope you both get a chance to have more fun during your stay.” I could tell they appreciated being included in the conversation. They both were holding some kind of game that caught my attention. “What are those?” I asked, pointing.
The younger held his up for me to see. “They’re in color now.”
“Really?” I asked, looking close. “Did these just come out or something?”
“Yes,” the older said, smiling.
“Early Christmas present?” I asked the man from Nevada.
He laughed. “I wish. I’m going to need to buy stock in a battery company.”
“Well, the last system I had did not last at all. The pins never seemed to connect right.” I admitted, shaking my head. “I took it apart, but there was no hope.”
“The new one that’s out now is a top loader. You should get one of those.”
Both kids were definitely excited.
“Do you have one of those too?” I asked, knowing the answer. “So, if I got one, what game would you recommend?”
They both looked at each other and named a few until they came to a consensus and just about screamed it in unison.
“Well, now I know what to ask Santa for,” I said, winking.
I could tell that Ms. Cedar and the man from Nevada greatly appreciated my honest interaction with the kids.
“Well, I need to get them back to work,” Ms. Cedar said, and we walked away to her car. We all piled into the car and began the trip back to work.
“They seemed nice,” I said after we drove for a few minutes in silence. “A little odd that he came all this way during the Christmas season.”
Ms. Cedar said nothing, but her facial expression hardened a little.
“You all right?” I asked.
“Friends travel across the country when it’s important.” She said nothing else, but I could tell I should stop digging before she grabbed the shovel and hit me in the head with it. “Is there somewhere besides work you want me to drop you?” she finally asked when we were close to the city.
“Work is fine,” Alison said. “I need to pick up some things.”
“How about you, Derrick?” Ms. Cedar asked.
“I’m on vacation now, so anywhere is fine for me.” I smiled and tapped my foot happily.
“You live near the airport, right?” she asked.
“Not too far, that’s correct.” I looked at her and could tell something was on her mind. “If you’re going that way, I’ll take the ride.”
We dropped Alison off at work and got quickly on the road toward my house.
“Do I ask too many questions?” I asked when the silence was deafening.
“If you want to know something, ask, but wait until it’s just me.” Ms. Cedar looked at me when we’re at a red light. “Somehow you always seem to know what’s going on, don’t you?”
“We have spent a lot of time together, so it’s not that hard.” I shrugged. “Your partner is dead, and suddenly someone from the same industry flies in. It’s not too hard to see what’s going on.”
The light turned green, but she stared at me. I am not sure if she was working on a plan to get rid of me or to pull me further into the inner circle. Beeping from behind brought her back to reality, and we kept driving.
“You know everything is going to change now, right?”
I chuckled. “Let me just say that everyone at work keeps pushing me to the front to find out exactly what is happening. You tell me what you want to calm them all down, and I will do that when I return from vacation.”
She sighed.
“What now?”
“Why don’t people ask me instead?”
“There are few people that use the direct method. As a guy, I have to say, you are very intimidating. That’s not a bad thing because you often balance your strong face with an awesome maternal welcoming side too.” I thought she would like hearing that, but her expression did not change. “People are stupid,” I concluded.
“All I will tell you is that Mr. Manor’s death helped speed up the plan. I’m not sure if anyone else will understand that, but I’m sure that’s enough for you.” Her trust in my deduction skills was more than I deserved. What she said did not make total sense, but to ask for clarification would tip my hand to reveal I had no idea what she meant.
“Understood. I’ll act surprised when you are ready to let everyone know.” I could tell she appreciated that gesture, and my reaction would be surprisingly real when the time came.
For the rest of the ride, we chatted about how glad we were that the day was nearly over and everyone could enjoy the four-day weekend.
“Any plans for next week?” she asked as we drove up my block.
“I am sure my sister has something planned, but all I want to do now is get some time to play video games.” I grinned widely, thinking of sitting on the floor, wrapped in a blanket, with a controller in my hand. “Probably forty hours or more will be spent in front of the television.”
Her reaction was as if I had grown a second head, and neither had a brain in it.
“Doesn’t sound like your type of fun?”
“It’s your money and your time, right?” Her smile was forced, and I wasn’t going to try to change her mind.
“At the end of my vacation, both will be long gone. We can both agree on that,” I said as I opened the car door in front of my house. “I greatly appreciate the ride home.” I closed the door and waved as she drove away.
When I got in the house, I found both kids on the floor, playing with toys.
“Did it go well?” Polly asked as I put away my stuff and took off my shoes.
Plopping down in a clear area of the floor, I started playing with things near me. “Actually it was a near-perfect day.”
“Who are you, and what have you done with my brother?” she said, handing me a covered plate of food and a drink.
“What’s this?” I asked, sitting up.
“It’s dinner. Aren’t you hungry?” She looked at her watch. “Actually it’s getting close to bedtime for the little ones.”
I began to eat and realized I was famished. “Have I told you recently that you are the best sister ever?”
“What happened to you today?” she asked, concerned.
“I’m in a real good mood. Christmas is coming up, I’m on vacation all next week, and here I sit among those that really matter to me. My belly will be full soon, and I have not a care in the world.”
I made some noises and faces at the kids, and they laughed for a long time.
“What are you doing tomorrow?”
“On Christmas Eve?” she wondered, putting her hands on her hips.
“I mean early in the day. Can we go get me a present?” I smiled fakely like a little kid asking for more candy.
“Will the stores be open?” she asked, not wanting to fight the crowds.
“Sure. I only need to go one place, and then I’m done.” I crossed my heart.
“What is so important that it can’t wait until next week?”
“I want to get a video game system.” I could see her begin to balk at the idea. “It’s not like the last one we got.”
“That was such a waste of money. It broke within a few months after you bought it.” She tapped her foot and pointed at me. “You suckered me into giving you half the money because mom and dad thought it was a dumb idea.”
“This one is different. They built it better.”
She rolled her eyes.
“I met two kids today that have one, and they assured me it was worth it.”
She huffed.
“Come on, please?”
“You’re not going to hog the TV and sit around with nothing on but a blanket again, are you?”
I acted shocked.
“That was your plan wasn’t it?”
I looked at the floor. “Yes,” I said like a whipped animal.
“How much is all this going to cost?”
I could tell she was budging, but I had to be careful.
“I’ve been setting aside some money each pay for this, so I’ll be okay.” I looked at her with my best sad eyes.
“What time do you want to get up in the morning?”
I was getting closer. “I was going to call around tonight and make sure the store had it first so we don’t waste our time.”
She pursed her lips and stood up straight.
“We could leave around nine?”
She rubbed her chin and looked at the kids playing. “Nine would work since they both get up earlier.”
“We should even be back for nap time,” I said, reeling her in slowly.
“Do they have any games I would like?” she asked, and I could feel myself panic. I had to come up with something good, or the whole deal might fall apart.
Standing up, I gave her a big hug and stepped back. “I don’t want to spoil the Christmas surprise, but I think we’ll all be very happy by the time we walk out of the store.”
She smiled and grabbed the kids. “Can you fix a bath and clean up the toys?”
“I’ve got nothing better to do,” I said, springing upstairs, knowing my vacation was going to be fantastic.