The doorman motions me down a dark hall to the left. Voices grow
louder as I follow the hallway. Light overflows from the doorway up ahead.
Faces merge with the voices as I stand in the doorway. Familiarity oozes from
the room, but I can't place it.
I spot the body in the rear to the right as I sign the guest book. Dead bodies have always freaked me out, so I plan to stay as far away as possible. I drop the pen and turn as the vaguely familiar faces stare at me.
"Hey Joey, I'm glad you could make it. Mom will be thrilled, now where is she?" The stranger grabs my hand and looks away while surveying the room. I suppose he is searching for his mother.
"Actually, I'm Mike, Joe is my older brother." I try to be friendly but the response is forced. I stare at the clump of gray hair on the mans head. He turns to face me again and I notice the matching gray mustache. I immediately think of Santa Claus and wonder if he does such work around the holidays. As I open my mouth to ask, another hand grabs my other arm.
"Joe, you son-of-a-bitch, how long has it been?" An older man flashes his obvious false teeth in my face while laughing. There are only traces of gray hair on his head.
"I'm okay, but I'm Mike, Joe is my oldest brother." The man's smile drops as he appears to consider the proclamation. I regret ruining his excitement and consider assuming Joe's identity since he won't be making an appearance.
"Mike?" The older man turns and looks at the younger Santa Claus seemingly expecting him to solve the apparent riddle.
"Yeah dad, you remember Mikey!" Santa runs his hands through his mustache while patting his father's back and pointing in my direction. I have no recollection of the letter y ever being added to my name. I think of the boy from the Life cereal commercial.
"Oh, yes, I remember you. I haven't seen you since you were this big." He holds his left hand halfway between his knee and waist to let everyone know I was close to six years old the last time he laid eyes on me.
"You still living down on 28th?" I shoot the question at the old man as his face finally registers in my brain. It is Mick and the gray haired man is his son Travis. I smile while recalling my father berate their intelligence.
"No, no, we moved years ago. We're down on Riverside now. Travis lives with us." He points at Travis whose mind appears to be elsewhere. I wonder how a man Travis' age ended up back with his parents - or did he ever leave?
"You guys look great, but I need to talk to mom. We'll catch up later." I spot my emergency exit across the room as mom moves in to my line of vision.
"Hey honey." She spreads her arms wide as she hugs and plants a kiss on my cheek.
"Hey mom. Geez, can you believe Travis thick head of gray hair? And, Mick's teeth look like they came from a donkey." I straighten my jacket while slowly realizing I am the only man wearing a suit in the entire room - that is, until a funeral home employee enters carrying a flower.
"Oh, his hair has been like that since he was a teenager. You'd know that if you came around more often. Don't forget, these are your people." Mom grabs my arm to steady herself while playing the guilt card again.
"My people? Thanks, but I have all of my teeth and don't consider flip flops high fashion." I laugh to myself as more jokes fill my head. I start to mumble a few more as I turn and catch mom's eyes that tell me to stop.
"I don't know where you get that attitude. You read a few books and suddenly you are too good for your own family." She shakes her head while waving at my sister who just entered the room.
"You're right, I'm sorry. Hey, who is the blonde with Connie?" The blonde is the one highlight of the evening. She is wearing a stunning black dress. I try not to stare as they approach us.
"Hey stranger." Connie punches my shoulder and rolls her eyes as we share a laugh.
"Hey yourself, I thought you were not coming?" She had told me as much during a telephone conversation earlier.
"My schedule changed, what, you writing a book? Hey, you remember Karen, don't you?"
"Oh, hey, how are you doing? It has been a long time." My heartbeat increased as our hands melt. My sister certainly knew I would never forget Karen - the cousin that taught me so much. My eyes traced the many curves of her body as the three ladies mouths continued to move. Suddenly, I realized all three were staring at me.
"Do you?" Connie had assumed the leadership position.
"What?" I couldn't remember the last thing I had heard after "Karen".
"Lord, you're a space cadet. Come on." Karen grabbed my arm as they turned and approached the coffin. I felt like a dog being dragged to the vet, I did not want to go, but her hand on my arm was comforting.
"Doesn't she look peaceful?" My mom stood to my left as they peered down at the casket.
"Uhm, yeah." I felt the perspiration on my forehead. I wondered how a dead person with make-up and new clothes could look anything but dead - how is dead peaceful? I resisted the urge to say anything as Connie shot me a dirty look and Karen continued to hold my arm.
I spot the body in the rear to the right as I sign the guest book. Dead bodies have always freaked me out, so I plan to stay as far away as possible. I drop the pen and turn as the vaguely familiar faces stare at me.
"Hey Joey, I'm glad you could make it. Mom will be thrilled, now where is she?" The stranger grabs my hand and looks away while surveying the room. I suppose he is searching for his mother.
"Actually, I'm Mike, Joe is my older brother." I try to be friendly but the response is forced. I stare at the clump of gray hair on the mans head. He turns to face me again and I notice the matching gray mustache. I immediately think of Santa Claus and wonder if he does such work around the holidays. As I open my mouth to ask, another hand grabs my other arm.
"Joe, you son-of-a-bitch, how long has it been?" An older man flashes his obvious false teeth in my face while laughing. There are only traces of gray hair on his head.
"I'm okay, but I'm Mike, Joe is my oldest brother." The man's smile drops as he appears to consider the proclamation. I regret ruining his excitement and consider assuming Joe's identity since he won't be making an appearance.
"Mike?" The older man turns and looks at the younger Santa Claus seemingly expecting him to solve the apparent riddle.
"Yeah dad, you remember Mikey!" Santa runs his hands through his mustache while patting his father's back and pointing in my direction. I have no recollection of the letter y ever being added to my name. I think of the boy from the Life cereal commercial.
"Oh, yes, I remember you. I haven't seen you since you were this big." He holds his left hand halfway between his knee and waist to let everyone know I was close to six years old the last time he laid eyes on me.
"You still living down on 28th?" I shoot the question at the old man as his face finally registers in my brain. It is Mick and the gray haired man is his son Travis. I smile while recalling my father berate their intelligence.
"No, no, we moved years ago. We're down on Riverside now. Travis lives with us." He points at Travis whose mind appears to be elsewhere. I wonder how a man Travis' age ended up back with his parents - or did he ever leave?
"You guys look great, but I need to talk to mom. We'll catch up later." I spot my emergency exit across the room as mom moves in to my line of vision.
"Hey honey." She spreads her arms wide as she hugs and plants a kiss on my cheek.
"Hey mom. Geez, can you believe Travis thick head of gray hair? And, Mick's teeth look like they came from a donkey." I straighten my jacket while slowly realizing I am the only man wearing a suit in the entire room - that is, until a funeral home employee enters carrying a flower.
"Oh, his hair has been like that since he was a teenager. You'd know that if you came around more often. Don't forget, these are your people." Mom grabs my arm to steady herself while playing the guilt card again.
"My people? Thanks, but I have all of my teeth and don't consider flip flops high fashion." I laugh to myself as more jokes fill my head. I start to mumble a few more as I turn and catch mom's eyes that tell me to stop.
"I don't know where you get that attitude. You read a few books and suddenly you are too good for your own family." She shakes her head while waving at my sister who just entered the room.
"You're right, I'm sorry. Hey, who is the blonde with Connie?" The blonde is the one highlight of the evening. She is wearing a stunning black dress. I try not to stare as they approach us.
"Hey stranger." Connie punches my shoulder and rolls her eyes as we share a laugh.
"Hey yourself, I thought you were not coming?" She had told me as much during a telephone conversation earlier.
"My schedule changed, what, you writing a book? Hey, you remember Karen, don't you?"
"Oh, hey, how are you doing? It has been a long time." My heartbeat increased as our hands melt. My sister certainly knew I would never forget Karen - the cousin that taught me so much. My eyes traced the many curves of her body as the three ladies mouths continued to move. Suddenly, I realized all three were staring at me.
"Do you?" Connie had assumed the leadership position.
"What?" I couldn't remember the last thing I had heard after "Karen".
"Lord, you're a space cadet. Come on." Karen grabbed my arm as they turned and approached the coffin. I felt like a dog being dragged to the vet, I did not want to go, but her hand on my arm was comforting.
"Doesn't she look peaceful?" My mom stood to my left as they peered down at the casket.
"Uhm, yeah." I felt the perspiration on my forehead. I wondered how a dead person with make-up and new clothes could look anything but dead - how is dead peaceful? I resisted the urge to say anything as Connie shot me a dirty look and Karen continued to hold my arm.
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