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Two
Cash
The next fewdays are a blur as they so often are at crucial crossroads in life. Plans are made at the firm for my parents and me to head out to Ocean City, Maryland, for a few days. Grandpa didn’t want a traditional funeral, which isn’t surprising to those who knew him. He wanted his ashes to be scattered at sea—from the speedboat in the middle of the ocean off Ocean City, to be exact. Yeah, Grandpa always had a flair for the flashy. Aunt Pearl and Uncle Alvin aren’t up for the long trip, so Molly Madigan’s parents—Levi’s old flame—are going to stay with them.
God bless them. I left a few bottles of vodka behind. They’re going to need it, especially since Aunt Pearl thinks Mr. Madigan is pretty okay—her words—in the looks department and was already hitting on him.
After boarding the plane—Killer’s along for the ride too, since I’ve kind of grown attached to the guy—I settle into my seat, finally breathing for the first time in days. Mom and Dad sit beside me, Mom especially a mess. This week hasn’t been easy on the family, to say the least. I think we’re all in shock. Staring out the window, I watch as Texas sinks away, the clouds surrounding the plane.
Although I’m not happy about the circumstances, a tiny part of me is a little excited to be getting away from this sleepy town for a few days. I know Levi’s been loving Ocean City. It’ll be interesting to see my big brother and to find out what all the fuss is about. There are also the practicalities—there are a lot of legalities to tend to with Grandpa’s business and will. I lean back in my seat, closing my eyes and trying to rest up for what’s probably going to be an even more intense few days.
* * *
“This just feels… disrespectful,”Mom says through tears as she clutches her soggy tissue.
“Mom, it’s what he wanted,” Levi argues as we stand at the loading dock, Levi holding the urn, Jodie by his side.
We’re getting ready to board The Rocket, the speedboat Grandpa specified in his funeral wishes. The June sun beating down on us, we stand in all black—which, in hindsight, wasn’t the best idea. I wipe some sweat from my head as I help Mom onto the boat, Dad following closely behind. Cindy’s mascara’s running down her face as Levi and Jodie help her onto the boat as well. I shake my head a little at the sky.
Grandpa, you’ve sure got one hell of a way of going out,I think to myself. I have to give him credit. It’s definitely not your traditional, mopey service. I think when I go out one day, I’d like nothing more than to be scattered to the wind from a speedboat.
Some of Levi’s new friends who knew Grandpa are also along for the ride. We’ve already had all the introductions—Avery, Jesse, Phoebe, Lysander, Reed, and a few of Grandpa’s stuffy business associates who look horrified about getting on this thing. I have to admit—I’m kind of excited to see how fast it goes.
“Better not cry,” I whisper to Levi as I take a seat beside him.
“Little brother, you’re the one we’re worried about,” he replies, shaking his head.
“Five bucks Dad pukes,” I say, outstretching a hand.
Never one to turn down a competition, my brother shakes my hand. “Make it ten.”
And with that, the boat takes off—and I do mean takes off. There’s no time to worry about sadness or final goodbyes. The pastor who gave a short prayer service at Midsummer Nights this morning—Mama insisted there would be some sort of traditional, spiritual goodbye despite Grandpa’s wishes—is turning green. I let out a “yeehaw,” and some of the others on the boat follow suit.
The wind is whipping in my face, and it feels like we’re soaring on the water. It’s a thrill, and even though it’s under horrible circumstances, I can’t help but smile at the sight of our family on this crazy boat, Mama’s wild hair even wilder on here, and Daddy clutching the seat for dear life. Maybe Grandpa knew what he was doing. Maybe he wanted to scare us shitless, so we didn’t have time to be sad. When we get to the middle of the ocean, the boat idles as we prepare for our final goodbye.
“We love you, Grandpa. Thanks for reminding us all to live fearlessly,” Levi says, before opening the urn. He tosses a handful of ashes into the water before passing the urn to Cindy.
“I love you forever,” she whispers to the wind, and even though I’m a man who doesn’t really believe in love, I feel a pang of sorrow for her. Her heart is clearly cracked. This is a defining moment in her life—she’ll never be the same. Another reason not to let love get the best of you, in my opinion, but to each his or her own. The urn passes hand to hand as everyone says one final goodbye, Grandpa drifting out to sea, freed from all the chaos and calamity of this life.
When we’ve all tossed Grandpa to the sea and Mama complains one more time about the unconventional ceremony—I remind her that these were Grandpa’s final wishes and it would be disrespectful to not follow them—the boat heads back, and Levi and I spend the rest of the ride studying Dad to see who is going to win the bet.
We’re getting to the dock and I’m starting to worry I’m going to have to cough up some cash. But just as we’re nearing the dock, Dad starts to look green. Like really green. And before we pull in, he’s puking up his breakfast waffles all over Mama’s shoes. This makes Mama cry even harder. The boat pulls into the dock, the boat operator looking horrified at the mess as everyone rushes to help Mama out. Lysander and Reed, two of Levi’s new friends, assure her they can get her a suitable pair of shoes in a jiffy while everyone else comforts her.
“What, am I chopped liver? Anyone worried about me?” Dad asks in true Ray Creed fashion, hands in the air as everyone rushes off.
“No way. You’re my hero right now. Thanks to you, Levi here owes me some money. But I’ll take payment in the form of a drink at the bar during the luncheon,” I say as Levi shakes his head.
“You would want a drink at a funeral luncheon,” Levi says, rolling his eyes.
We walk down the dock as Dad comes between us putting a hand on each of our shoulders. “Nothing much that can’t be solved with a little whiskey, boys.”
I nod, smiling at the sentiment I’ve heard dozens of times over the years.
“You’re lucky Mama’s so worried about her shoes that she didn’t hear you,” Levi says.
“Truth. But what your Mama doesn’t know can’t really hurt her, right? Now come on. While she’s busy getting new shoes, how about you buy your dad a good strong drink too. After that crazy ceremony, I think we could all use a little escapism, and something tells me wherever he is, your grandpa, God rest his soul, would be cheering us on.”
“I think you’re right,” I reply, knowing wherever Grandpa is, he’s smiling at the chaos he’s created—and probably laughing a little too.
