Angels and Guardians Pt. 06

Jill lit another after they left. Joe came out and said hi. Jill handed him the rest of her cigarette and lit one more for herself. Joe took a long drag and exhaled the smoke with a sigh. Ashley frowned, but bit her tongue. He caught her displeasure immediately and said, "just this one for tonight."

She folded her arms and said, "I understand. I really do, but don't think I'm kissing you anymore tonight." He said that was fair enough, and went on to bitch about long-forgotten distant cousins trying to worm their way into his life with fake grief. The complaint sparked fresh chatter about unpleasant people in general.

Kim came up after a few minutes and noticed the cigarette in Joe's hand. She looked at Ashley to see what she thought of it. Ashley just shook her head slightly.

Kim turned and asked, "Joe, did you mean what you offered last night?"

"Of course."

"Well, I pitched it, and surprisingly, my parents agreed. They said my grades had been slipping, and agreed that I was far too unhappy. So, they said I could come back."

Ashley stepped over and embraced Kim in a bear hug. "That's great!"

"Yeah, but I still have to fly out tomorrow after the funeral to take my tests on Friday."

"How are you getting back? You need help?" asked Joe.

"Well, I'm gonna drive my car back this weekend. That way I can take my clothes and some other things with me. My dad is going to give me some money to pay for gas, food and the hotel."

Joe finished smoking and put out the butt in the appropriate sand can. "That's good news," he said. "I'll talk to Cindy when we get back inside and have her start working on the school's paperwork after the funeral tomorrow."

They talked a bit more about Kim coming back, and went inside after Jill finished her smoke. The viewing room had emptied a bit while they were outside, although a few newcomers had arrived late to pay their respects. The priest returned several minutes later and everyone made their way to their seats for a few prayers. The short service ended, and Joe and Ashley said goodbye to those remaining.

The director told Joe that they would seal the caskets now, and Jill, Jasmine, Kim, and Cindy left the room. Ashley gave Joe a small hug and started to move away, but he grabbed her arm. "Would you stay with me for this?" he asked. She nodded and stood close to him, wrapping her arm around his back. Ashley went with him as he moved to his mom's casket, plucked a rose from one of the arrangements and placed it near her shoulder. They stepped back and the director removed his parents' jewelry, placed them in an elegant box, and handed it to Joe. Then, the director and a host lowered the lids and screwed the locks, first his dad, then his mom. Ashley couldn't help but shed some tears. She didn't see Joe blink away one of his own.

The funeral was massive. Sacred Heart was the cathedral of their diocese, and was large enough to seat 2500 people. The church was so packed, that the mayor himself stood in one of the crowded side aisles. In attendance were coworkers, community leaders, military officers who assisted with the company's projects, staffs of the charities his parents befriended, their principal and school office staff, coaches, several teachers, and many senior classmates and their families. The media was out in force to record events, as well. The bishop, who seldom failed to let an opportunity to get seen on camera pass, insisted on saying the Mass himself.

Joe and Cindy had asked that Sister Kate give the eulogy, and Joe followed to give some thoughts as well. Joe had chosen to make the funeral a full Mass, and for a communion hymn, he picked "Ave Maria." When they were planning everything in Denver, Cindy was curious as to why he asked Ashley to sing it. She knew why now, after the performance at his house two nights ago. Ashley left Joe before communion to go up to the choir loft located at the side of the sanctuary. Her palms were sweating as she took her position at the rail. She had decided not to use the microphone, wanting to use the building's acoustics, instead. Ashley waited at the rail for the first hymn to end, letting her hands play slightly with the black satin of her dress outside her thighs. She looked down at Joe, but he was lost in his thoughts. Cindy, though, did catch her eye and gave her a reassuring smile. The organ played the last few notes of the previous hymn and led into the intro of her piece.

Ashley held her hands behind her back in a manner she learned was designed to spread the front of her chest to maximize capacity. She inhaled deeply and began singing. She projected her voice toward the middle of the long nave ceiling, letting it bounce and rain down on the congregation. Ashley used an English version that describes the person praying the hymn as a maiden, pleading with the Holy Mother to comfort and accept her sorrow for sins past. She used the original Latin first verse in the middle of the hymn, and sang the final parts in English again, asking maiden to Maiden that her prayer be heard. Her powerful voice and diction were so clear, even the people in the very back could hear every syllable. Ashley put enough emotion and effort into the hymn that her hands were trembling behind her. The congregation could feel it, and was so moved that everyone stood and applauded when she ended the song. Even the bishop stood, faced her, and applauded in her direction. Ashley was drained from the effort, and the surprise of applause at a funeral sent her into tears as she nodded her gratitude respectfully to the crowd. She turned away from the rail, and received the Holy Eucharist from a lay minister who was waiting for her.

The Mass ended, and the caskets were wheeled down the aisle to the back of the church. Cindy had picked several trusted management members to be pall bearers for his dad, while Joe chose himself and his Guardian offensive line to carry his mother. The caskets were carried down the steps and loaded into the hearses.

The procession to the cemetery was over two miles long, and required a half hour to let everyone get into position for the graveside service. The bishop blessed the double grave site and the caskets. Joe's parents were given a 21-gun salute featuring a uniformed rifleman from every military branch, and a Navy admiral that Ashley recognized from the meeting in Denver last Friday presented Joe with a flag, saying, "on behalf of the President of the United States, and a grateful nation, receive this flag flown over the United States capitol in their honor." Joe acknowledged the salute with a nod and thanked the officer. After the bishop said the final prayer, and by sheer coincidence, the Blue Angels flight demonstration team took off from their home airfield nearby for their winter practice trip to California, flying in formation directly over the grave.

Jasmine and Jill raced back to Joe's house to prepare the food for the reception planned for an hour later. Joe, Ashley, Cindy, and Kim arrived a bit after the first two, as they rode in the funeral home's limo back to the church to pick up their car. The six worked solidly to arrange the buffet on the dining table until the first guests arrived. Well over a hundred people showed up to spend some time with Joe, many bringing still more food. Joe moved from group to group, chatting about whatever they brought up. Mostly, it was to listen to tales about his parents.

Kim came up to Ashley after a while and said that she had to leave for her flight. Ashley led her up to her bedroom and closed the door. She slung her arms around Kim and thanked her for coming down. Kim changed to her jeans and t-shirt and complimented her on the hymn she sang, asking how she came up with something so beautiful.

Ashley said, "the version isn't mine. It's on Celine Dion's CD."

"Yeah, but how did you get your heart to show so much through singing it?

Ashley sniffed. "I sang it for his parents, hoping it was good enough for them."

Kim finished tying her tennis shoe and said, "Ash, what you did today was good enough for the Pope!" She saw that brought tears to Ashley's eyes, so she hugged her. "Oh, baby, I'm sorry I have to leave like this. I'll be back on Sunday night."

Ashley locked Kim in a deep kiss, and then said as she broke it, "take care, okay? I don't have it in me to do this twice in a row."

Kim leaned in and rested her forehead on Ashley's. "I will. Don't worry, I'll be fine. Miss me, okay?"

Ashley answered, "I already am."

Kim took her bags and met Cindy at her car, as Cindy had offered to take her to the airport on her way back to the office.

The reception was winding down, and Jill, Jasmine, and Ashley worked to put the leftovers in the fridge and cleaned up. It was after six when the last guest departed and the house was put back in shape. Jill and Jasmine said goodbye so they could get ready and rested for school and the game tomorrow. Once alone, Joe and Ashley sat on the sofa in the den, still in their formal wear. Nothing was said for a long while, so Ashley reclined back against the armrest, pulling Joe's head down with her to her chest. Safe in her arms, he broke down in heavy sobs against her breast until he fell asleep an hour later.