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The funeral was large and loud. When we stepped inside the church, I immediately spotted ten cousins and four second cousins. They were all crammed in the middle of the aisle talking loudly and boisterously. If you didn’t know why we were all there, you would have thought someone was getting married not buried.
My mother led the way down the aisle, squeezing her way between relatives, stopping to say hello as she went. I kept my head down. Avoiding eye contact was the best way to get through this without someone…
“Piper?!” A voice yelled from a few feet away. Everyone in the vicinity immediately fell silent. “Piper! You came!”
I turned to see my cousin Melissa hurrying toward me. She engulfed me in a bone crushing hug before pulling away. She held onto my arms and looked me up and down.
“Ugh! You look gorgeous,” she said with venom in her voice. “I don’t know why I’m surprised, you always were the pretty one.”
“Thanks Mel,” I said softly. “You look great. How long has it been?”
“Six years!” she half-yelled. “Can you believe that?”
“No,” I shook my head and glanced around me. I caught Audra’s eye and tried to silently convey I needed help. She just laughed and made her way into a pew with the kids. I could have killed her.
“So, what have you been up to? Still in New York? How are things? Are you still a paralegal or something like that?”
“A lawyer,” I nodded. “Yeah, I’m still…”
“Oh no!” Melissa interrupted. “Looks like they’re about to start. We better sit.”
Melissa hurried away in a blur. I turned around and made my way over to Audra in a fog. When I sat down, I shoved my shoulder hard against hers.
“Ouch,” she snapped.
“I can’t believe you just left me with her!” I hissed under my breath.
“You looked like you were doing fine,” she chuckled.
“I hate you,” I told her again.
“You might want to be careful with your hatred today. I could be next, you now?” She gestured toward the casket at the front of the church.”
“Drama queen,” I mumbled.
***
At the funeral, I realized how sad I actually felt about my Uncle Jeff. It may have been a decade since I last saw him, but when the eulogies were read, I remembered everything I loved about him. It didn’t take long for me to start crying. Audra held my hand and all of our bickering was forgotten.
After everyone moved to the cemetery and we watched as Uncle Jeff was lowered into the ground, we piled into cars and drove through town toward Kellan’s pub. Uncle Jeff’s one request was an Irish wake and the Prewitts were nothing if not accommodating to the dead.
Kellan’s was decked out in pictures of Uncle Jeff. Every inch of bare wall was covered with his face. I shook my head and went straight for the bar. Grabbing two pints, I claimed a table with Audra and we raised our glasses to Uncle Jeff.
“He was a good uncle,” Audra said.
“He was a little pervy,” I reminded her.
“But good all the same,” she argued.
“Yeah,” I agreed sadly. “He was.”
“I know I already said it,” Audra began. “But I’m really glad you’re here, Pipe.”
“You’re just happy to have someone else around to incur Mom’s wrath,” I teased.
“I’m serious,” Audra said. She took a swig of her beer. “We miss you when you’re not around.”
“She’s right,” Jack, Audra’s husband, said as he pulled up a chair beside Audra.
