The Funeral

The preacher walked up to the podium and laid his bible down.  The image of him in his black silk robe gave Shae the chills. Edkin took her hand and hold it in his. He smiled at her and nodded.

“Family and friends, we are gathered here to commemorate the life Jeffery Marshall. It is sad that we must gather here to say good bye. But at this time we must also remember his achievements…” The preacher paused and sighed. He took a moment to take off his glasses and squeeze his nose where the spectacles once sat. Shae turned her head towards Edkin who also looked a little confused.  Turning her attention back to the preacher, she noticed he was rubbing his eyes. He then took out a white handkerchief and rubbed his fingers on it.  

Is he crying? She wondered.

“I apologize, folks. Now, where was I? Jeffery was to be the valedictorian of his high school graduation class. He also, we scheduled to attend MIT in the fall.” The preacher paused again. “We shall now hear from his mother.”

The room’s attention then turned to a middle-aged woman standing up. Though Shae’s sister had dated Jeffery since they were in sixth grade, Shae had never once seen Jeffery’s parents. His mother was short and thin. Her hair was a firey red and hung just below her chin.  She had already been crying, long before she got to the podium. Still she climbed the three wooden steps and placed her page onto the desk. Sniffing she struggled to push the words out of her throat.

“Jeffery was… a won….wonderful… boy. He loved... he loved his friends… but loved the court… even more. As a son… he did all he could… to make the family happy. And as a brother… he was protective of his three…younger sisters.” Her hands fell to the desk as she lifted her head to the ceiling. “Jeffery, if you could hear Mommy, I miss you. You always said that you wanted to grow up and be a hero. Well, baby, you got what you wanted... I just wish that it had not cost your life." The woman then lowered her head and went back to her seat. 

Edkin patted Shae on the hand and stood up.

"Is it your turn already?" Shao asked.

"Yep," Edkin whispered as he made his way to the podium. Shae bit her lip and inhaled. You can do it Edkin. Just dont cry.

Edkin looked at the audience. His face was still. He sighed and faced towards the closed casket that sat to his left. "Jeffery had, in my opinion, the perfect life. He belonged to loving family. He was popular. He had a beautiful girlfriend. He loved his life... and he loved the court. He lead our team to multiple victories and it was because of him that our school won nationals last year. Mr and Mrs Marshall, you have every reason to be proud of him. I know I speak for the whole basketball team at Emberks High when I say 'We are going to miss you, Jeffery.'" 

As Edkin walked back to his seat, the members of the basketball team stood up and began to clap. Slowly more students joined them, until everyone was standing and clapping for the man who laid in the casket in front of them. Shae fought back tears for the sake of Edkin and Simone. She knew that if they saw her crying, nothing would keep them from doing the same.