Read Online Safe & Sound by T.S. Krupa - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: T.S. Krupa
Tags: General Fiction
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Stella, Lanie and I as Gary Swanford approached.
“Jill, we are going to move Jay back to the funeral home and prepare him for his final journey,” he said. I nodded. I still hadn’t left my seat in the front pew of the church.
“Do you need a minute?” he asked and I nodded again. Stella and Lanie both nudged me to move. I slowly got to my shaky feet and approached Jay’s coffin one more time. A beautiful spray of yellow roses sat on the top of the coffin and the fragrance was overwhelming. I rested my hands on the coffin’s shiny outer surface and leaned down and kissed it. I didn’t have anything else left to say. I took a step back and nodded to Gary. He and several other men dressed in suits approached and rolled the coffin toward the side entrance. Stella and Lanie walked next to me as we passed through the front of the church with Harry in tow behind us.
The reception was only a few blocks from the church and we had decided to walk. The Draft was an old firehouse that had been converted into a bar and restaurant. It had become an establishment that Jay spent a lot of time in, especially during law school. We were the last to arrive and found that the restaurant was packed with our friends and family. In the entrance, Lanie and Stella had arranged a table full of pictures of Jay from his baby years to the present, along with a stack of cards on which people could leave their thoughts or favorite memories in lieu of a formal guestbook.
I sat at a table in the middle of the room with either Lanie or Stella by my side at all times. As I sat there, I observed all of our friends and family chatting, laughing and enjoying each other’s company. Many snacked on the appetizers Lanie had preselected or drank Jay’s favorite drink—Johnny Walker Red Label over a single large cube of ice with a lemon wedge—that Stella had arranged with the bartender to have in stock.
Slowly, the guests would all come by the table. They all wanted to talk about Jay and most shared their favorite memory or story. I just smiled and listened as Stella, Lanie or Harry continued to keep vigilance over me. People began to leave in specific groups. My coworkers were the first. The teachers and parents slowly gathered around and asked a couple questions before leaving.
“When do you think you will come back?” Jennifer Bentley, my principal, asked.
“I’m not sure now is the best time to discuss that,” Lanie interjected.
“Of course. My apologies,” Jennifer said before leaving.
Next was the handful of Jay’s coworkers who had traveled down from Massachusetts. I had met them all once at a work function, but I couldn’t remember their names. They seemed the most awkward and quickly gave their condolences. One guy, Denny, made arrangements with Stella to stop by the following day before his flight to collect Jay’s work papers and laptop as they would need to be returned. Stella tried to confer with me, but I just shrugged my shoulders, indifferent to when they collected his belongings.
Peter and the few family members who attended left next. Most had traveled down together on a private chartered jet and would be leaving in the morning. All were very somber and quiet during the reception. Harry insisted on walking Peter out to his car so he could say some final words in private. Before he left, Peter gave me a big embrace and made me promise that we would see more of each other. When they walked out, I knew that would be the last time I saw Peter Greenfield.
Those left mingling in The Draft were the liveliest of all the guests, mostly because it consisted of Jay’s law-school friends and Harry’s police-force buddies. Both groups had a large overlap, given the type of work they each did, and many took the occasion to catch up with each other and share stories. Others let off steam from the job and some seemed to be drowning their sorrows. Harry spent a large portion of time mingling with everyone, thanking them
“Jill, we are going to move Jay back to the funeral home and prepare him for his final journey,” he said. I nodded. I still hadn’t left my seat in the front pew of the church.
“Do you need a minute?” he asked and I nodded again. Stella and Lanie both nudged me to move. I slowly got to my shaky feet and approached Jay’s coffin one more time. A beautiful spray of yellow roses sat on the top of the coffin and the fragrance was overwhelming. I rested my hands on the coffin’s shiny outer surface and leaned down and kissed it. I didn’t have anything else left to say. I took a step back and nodded to Gary. He and several other men dressed in suits approached and rolled the coffin toward the side entrance. Stella and Lanie walked next to me as we passed through the front of the church with Harry in tow behind us.
The reception was only a few blocks from the church and we had decided to walk. The Draft was an old firehouse that had been converted into a bar and restaurant. It had become an establishment that Jay spent a lot of time in, especially during law school. We were the last to arrive and found that the restaurant was packed with our friends and family. In the entrance, Lanie and Stella had arranged a table full of pictures of Jay from his baby years to the present, along with a stack of cards on which people could leave their thoughts or favorite memories in lieu of a formal guestbook.
I sat at a table in the middle of the room with either Lanie or Stella by my side at all times. As I sat there, I observed all of our friends and family chatting, laughing and enjoying each other’s company. Many snacked on the appetizers Lanie had preselected or drank Jay’s favorite drink—Johnny Walker Red Label over a single large cube of ice with a lemon wedge—that Stella had arranged with the bartender to have in stock.
Slowly, the guests would all come by the table. They all wanted to talk about Jay and most shared their favorite memory or story. I just smiled and listened as Stella, Lanie or Harry continued to keep vigilance over me. People began to leave in specific groups. My coworkers were the first. The teachers and parents slowly gathered around and asked a couple questions before leaving.
“When do you think you will come back?” Jennifer Bentley, my principal, asked.
“I’m not sure now is the best time to discuss that,” Lanie interjected.
“Of course. My apologies,” Jennifer said before leaving.
Next was the handful of Jay’s coworkers who had traveled down from Massachusetts. I had met them all once at a work function, but I couldn’t remember their names. They seemed the most awkward and quickly gave their condolences. One guy, Denny, made arrangements with Stella to stop by the following day before his flight to collect Jay’s work papers and laptop as they would need to be returned. Stella tried to confer with me, but I just shrugged my shoulders, indifferent to when they collected his belongings.
Peter and the few family members who attended left next. Most had traveled down together on a private chartered jet and would be leaving in the morning. All were very somber and quiet during the reception. Harry insisted on walking Peter out to his car so he could say some final words in private. Before he left, Peter gave me a big embrace and made me promise that we would see more of each other. When they walked out, I knew that would be the last time I saw Peter Greenfield.
Those left mingling in The Draft were the liveliest of all the guests, mostly because it consisted of Jay’s law-school friends and Harry’s police-force buddies. Both groups had a large overlap, given the type of work they each did, and many took the occasion to catch up with each other and share stories. Others let off steam from the job and some seemed to be drowning their sorrows. Harry spent a large portion of time mingling with everyone, thanking them
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