taken from laura
Post anything that you want (in comments), and post it anonymously. Anything. A story, a secret, a confession, a fear, a love -- anything. Be sure to post anonymously and honestly. Post twice if you'd like. Then, put this in your LJ to see what your friends (and perhaps others who you don't even realize read your LJ) have to say
The next few days were a clouded confusion, the world had just been turned upside down and nothing made sense any more. The night before the showing Ryan purchased a pair of boots to wear to the funeral and spent some time with his cousins playing video games trying to make life seem normal. He didn’t sleep well that night, and what sleep he did get was thanks only to the sleeping medication. The nightmares were starting to come.
The showing was an all day event that didn’t seem real at all. Seeing his fathers body lie there lifeless was just hard to comprehend. An honor guard was posted by the State Police to pay respect to Mark. A majority of the town trafficked by his body that day, offering condolences to Ryan and his mother. Ryan’s best friend at the time was there with him most of the day helping him through this difficult time.
Around lunch time Ryan’s half-brother convinced him to leave and go get a bite to eat. They sat and ate tacos nearby and Billy was there for Ryan, for he had lost his father to cancer not to long ago himself. This was one of their first of many times of bonding, for Billy was 12 years older than Ryan.
After returning to the funeral home, Ryan returned to his spot next to his father’s body greeting people as they trafficked through. A large portion of his teachers came in a group and offered their sympathy to Ryan. These people would un-knowingly help him through the rest of the school year.
Night was beginning to fall and the showing was slowly coming to an end. The Masonic Lodge performed their ceremony for Mark and the night came to an end. There were so many flowers and plants by the end of the night, as well as a register overflowing with signed names. The many plants were loaded into vehicles to be taken home… the wind was picking up and cold weather was moving in.
The day of the funeral was cold and windy even for March. The ground was water logged and muddy while the chill of the wind made everything seem more intense. The church wasn’t but a block away, just down the alley therefore the journey was short. Many people were already gathering, and many more would arrive before the service began. Ryan’s godfather and Mark’s best friend had arrived this morning, Ryan was happy to see Joe.
Joe seemed to be having a harder time dealing with Mark’s passing than Ryan was. He kept saying “It should be me up there, not Mark”. He felt that someone in the prime of their life shouldn’t be dead, especially when they have a loving family. Joe had lost his wife a few years back and his health was starting to fail as well. The friendly man was in so much pain.
After a sermon, and some music, Ryan went before the people that were gathered and read a poem by an unknown author for his father. The words he spoke, and in the calm manner he spoke them in, helped comfort many of the people there. Ryan took his seat and shortly after bagpipes began to play. The palm bearers hoisted the casket up and began their journey toward the door. Ryan and his family joined in right behind and exited the building.
Once everything was situated they began their journey to the cemetery. At the first few intersections on the way there, state police officers saluted and plaid taps to honor Mark. Ryan would never forget the haunting sounds of taps being played, the sound of the song would always surface painful memories from that day forth.
The burial was fairly normal. The casket was draped in an American Flag, and it was presented to Ryan and his mother by the superintendent of the Indiana State Police. Then what seemed to Ryan as an unimaginable number of roses were placed on the casket and it was lowered down into the concrete tomb in the cold ground. A major part of Ryan went down into the ground with his father’s body, and it would remain their for quite some time.
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