Edited for length. If any confusion TELL ME!
Chapter One
The Funeral
My dad is making me go to a funeral today. My Great Aunt Sue just passed away last week. I’ve never met her, and by the sound of things, neither has my father. He thinks that by going to the funeral he might get something out of her will. He doesn’t realize the ass kissing has to be done before the old hag keels over.
Like always, I was the first one up, dressed and cooking eggs. Ever since my mother passed away four years ago, I sort of took her place. Not that my father is a bum or anything, but seeing him attempt to be the mother and the father was kind of freaky. Like when I first got my period. Just some things in life are meant for females only. I don’t mind either, since my little brother isn't any trouble most of the time, and my father does what he can.
We are staying in a motel on the outskirts of town. The little town of Hazleton, South Dakota isn’t big enough to actually have a motel. The population was half of the student-body at my school. It’s mostly meadows too, with barns and stinky old farms.
It wasn’t that hard to find something black to wear. My whole wardrobe revolves around the color. But for today, I settled on a knee long skirt and a long sleeved sweater. When I was packing my makeup and other toiletries, I only brought my eyeliner and Chap Stick. I don’t think looking like I belong in a grave is the most appropriate thing for a funeral.
I woke up my brother first. I put out a towel for him and laid out his suit. Then I did the same for my father.
Things were going oddly smooth this morning.
My father is an architect for this fancy company in Sioux, North Dakota. He has a long commute in the mornings and on more than one occasion, he has fallen asleep at the wheel. He usually leaves for work an hour before any normal person should, so when I wake up I usually call him to make sure he isn't asleep. It’s too dangerous to be working so far from home.
We live right on the boarder of Adams and Sioux. It’s a lot like Hazelton but bigger and more suburban. When my mother was still alive she use to complain about the air out here. She grew up in Manhattan but moved here to be with my father. There is a huge romantic story behind it but that doesn’t change the fact that she’s gone.
In the kitchen, my father kissed me on the cheek before taking his place at the round table. “Smells good, as always,” he said with a smile. “A lawyer called me last night saying how I need to go down to his office after the funeral and speak with him. It has something to do with the will, I know it,” he said shoveling a fork full of scrambled eggs into his mouth.
“Here’s to hoping,” I said raising my glass of orange juice.
He winked at me, “That’s my girl,” I started out of the room but he stopped me. “Aren’t you going to have something to eat?” he asked.
“I already ate.” I lied.
For the past few weeks, I’ve been trying to avoid any unnecessary foods. Any types of foods in general are unnecessary.
My boyfriend and I were in the kitchen doing homework one afternoon. I got up to get us sodas and he followed me and wrapped his arms around my waste.
“Genna, you’re packing on the pounds, huh?” He didn’t want it to sound rude, or to say that I was fat. I haven’t been watching what I eat and been gaining a few pounds. He was just reminding me.
My boyfriend’s name is Cameron. We have been dating for about a year now. We had been friends for years but the beginning of sophomore year he took an interest in me. One I could never really understand. He is the captain of the football team and I'm just an average girl with nothing to offer him.
Cameron insists that he loves me and wants to spend the rest of his life with me. But when he told me, it wasn’t so romantic. Right after he told me how beautiful and irresistible I am, he tried to get into my pants. I pushed his hand away and he got livid.
“Don’t you love me?” he asked innocently. What a guilt trip. After that he hasn’t really tried to touch me. Probably because of the sudden weight gain. That’s another reason why I want to lose some weight, I think I’m ready now.
When they finished breakfast, I checked myself in the mirror. My hair was almost to my waste now and a little wavy. Everyone says that the waves compliment my pale heart shaped face. I sighed when I looked straight into my eyes. They are such a plain color. Brown, the color of shit.
I grabbed my tooth brush, knocking my brother’s to the floor. His toothbrush was completely dry. Gross.
“Bailey, we aren’t leaving until you brush your teeth!”
Once Bailey brushed his teeth, we loaded into the Expedition. My father was no where in sight. More than likely he is on his computer making sure everything was okay for him to leave. Heaven forbid he be away for two days, the whole place would crash and burn to the ground.
Speak of the devil and he will come, kidding. My father came outside just as Bailey was about to honk the horn. He had his blue tooth glued to his ear and his brief case, that will always contain a laptop and Twinkie wrappers, in his hand.
“No, Sharon, I’ll be back in town tomorrow. I will be back into work by one o’clock Friday. I left you a bunch of things that need to be done for the Jem Estate.” Sharon is his secretary. I've met her a few times; she has short brown hair and long legs. She is always so frazzled at work because she has a hard tome working to my father’s high standards.
He stayed on the phone with Sharon for a long time while he was driving. Bailey was playing with his PSP in the back seat. Bailey isn’t a nerd, but he isn’t cool either. He is just a misfit, like I was before Cameron came along.
Last school year, an older kid at the elementary school was picking on him for no apparent reason. I went to the school to talk with the principal about it, but he said he didn’t know what I was talking about. Bailey never told anyone this, except me. The principal said he’d talk to Bailey’s teacher to see what was really going on. He acted as if I wasn’t supposed to be there.
Now, I understand that it was weird to have me in his office instead of his mother or father but that’s no reason not to take me seriously.
After a while the bullying stopped. I had hoped it was because Bailey told the teacher or someone, but he didn’t. Instead, he punched the kid in the gut and ran away. He was suspended from elementary school for two days. I had to stay home as well to watch over him. But I’m not complaining.
It wasn’t that hard to find the place. The entire town has all of four side streets. The cemetery held about twenty grave stones and was completely deserted besides a short minister that was balding on the top, standing next to a pile of dirt. Were we early?
When we walked up to the minister he looked surprised to see us. “Hello.” He said, “The lord must have sent you. Sue would have been happy that you came.”
I took a hold of Bailey’s hand and we stood next to my father. “My name is Travis Caine and this is my daughter, Genevieve and my son, Bailey.”
The minister nodded to us. “I am Father Down. How are you in relations to Sue?”
“She was my aunt. I haven’t seen her in ages, but she was very close to my mother.”
I had to hold back the urge to roll my eyes. My father could care less about any of this funeral mumbo jumbo.
Father Down nodded again. He was holding a bible wrapped in rosary beads. “Shall we begin then?” He took his place at the end of the pile of dirt and began his Eulogy. “It is with deep regret that we are assembled here today to pay our last regrets to Susan Davis. She was never a mother, but she was a good sister and a fine Aunt and a friend to us all. Her spirit looks upon us and sees us, in hopes to guide us through our own journeys as she has gone through her own. She will always have a special part in our hearts. Let’s just be thankful that we knew a special lady like Sue.”
My father cleared his throat and pulled a piece of paper out of his jacket. I knew he would be prepared with something. “What can I say about Aunt Sue? My mother told me stories about all the adventures that went on together growing up. I always wished I could have a brother or sister to share the same joys. I only have one memory of you Aunt Sue. I was six and my mother and I came to your house for Christmas. Mom was so happy to be spending time with you after so many years. You gave me one of those old fashion calculators in hopes that I would become an accountant or something along those lines. I still have it somewhere. But Aunt Sue, I wish there was some way we could have more memories with you. And I know that you can hear this. You and mother are together in heaven once again. Until we meet again.”
Father Down touched my father’s shoulder. “That was beautiful; I know she would have loved it.”
My father looked at me and nudged my arm. I wasn’t as prepared. “You will be missed.” My voice cracked a little. It sounded like I was really choked up so my father didn’t push me any further. And he didn’t ask Bailey to say anything. Does that kid ever speak?
