Sweet Reunion (9 page)

He scanned the crowd, hoping
and praying for inspiration to strike him like a lightning bolt. Which,
thankfully, it did – although, not in the form of a lightning bolt, but rather
in the person of his old high school principal.

“Mr. Jenkins!” he called to
the administrator, waving him over. As Mr. Jenkins fought his way through the
dense crush of bodies, Justin said, “I have an idea. I think this might work.”

Justin turned toward the
principal as he topped the stairs to stand beside them and clapped Justin
heartily on the back. “Mr. Jenkins, I think you can see what our problem is
here.”

Mr. Jenkins nodded solemnly.
“I do. Amanda, your father was so loved in this community, and we are all
feeling his loss, although I know it must be nothing compared to what you are
going through. But I do hope that all of these people will get some kind of
chance to say goodbye to Parker, even if they can't all fit inside the church.”

Justin nodded, “That's where
I'm hoping you can help us out, Mr. Jenkins. Would we be able to use the gym to
hold the memorial service?”

Geoffrey snorted derisively.
“A gymnasium for a memorial service? That's hardly proper. Although typical for
what I've seen the past two days, so by all means, please, proceed.”

Mr. Jenkins shook his head
with regret. “Well, Justin, I don't think that's going to work. Although not
for the reason that this gentleman here objects to it for. I just don't think
even the gym would be enough to hold all these folks.”

Justin looked deflated. Then
he suddenly brightened. “How about the football field? It's a beautiful day,
the weather's not an issue. And the bleachers in the football field were built
to be able to hold pretty near the entire town, plus the visitors side.”

Mr. Jenkins had started
nodding his head vigorously before Justin had even finished talking. “Yes,
perfect,” he said decisively, “I'm going to go open up the gates and get the
sound system turned on. I'll round up some students to haul out the portable
platform we use for graduation and set it up in the middle of the field.
Justin, you and Pastor Harrison take care of getting the crowd moving toward
the field. Give us about a ten minute head start. The good thing is that the
school is only three blocks away, so people can walk it easily, even in their
fancy clothes. There won't be a traffic jam.”

Justin stopped the principal
when he saw tears streaming down Amanda's face. “Wait,” he said, concern
filling his voice, “Amanda, is this not OK with you? Do you just want your Dad
to have a proper church memorial, even if it's small? We'll do whatever you
want to do.”

Amanda smiled through her
tears, “No! No, that's not it at all!” she said, “It's completely perfect. I
actually got choked up because it is so perfect, as a matter of fact. There are
two things in this life that my father really and truly loved, and those were
these mountains, and the people that live in them. So, to have an outdoor
memorial, filled with pretty much everyone in town? You couldn't create a more
perfect scenario for my Dad.

“In fact,” she laughed
softly, “it wouldn't surprise me to think that he actually did arrange this
from the other side.”

--- ~ ---

The transition from the
church to the football field was quicker and smoother than Amanda could have
ever imagined. By 11 am, just one short hour after the service had been slated
to begin, Pastor Harrison climbed the steps to the portable platform that had
been set up in the middle of the football field and took the microphone from
its stand to begin the service. Amanda looked around and couldn't believe her
eyes. The stadium was full. That meant that nearly the entire town of 5,000
souls must have come out to say goodbye to Parker Jacobs. She was astounded.

Of course, she had known
that the townspeople loved him. He had been elected Mayor every time he had
run, by a huge majority. It was impossible to go out to a meal in any
restaurant in Hope Falls without people constantly stopping by the table to
thank him for something, or share some bit of news, or show off photos of a new
grandbaby. She had known the town loved him. She just hadn't known how much.

As Pastor Harrison opened
the memorial service with a prayer, she heard his voice hitching. Yes, she
realized, even he must be having a hard time today. He and her father had been
quite close. She wondered if there was even one person in town that her
father's kindness, generosity, and wisdom had not touched.

After Pastor Harrison had
drawn the beautiful prayer to a close, he said, “Parker loved this town and
everyone in it. There were some, though, that he was especially close to. One
of those individuals was his best friend for over 40 years, and he's here to
deliver the eulogy. Henry?”

Amanda smiled encouragingly
at her beloved adopted Uncle as he stepped up and took the mic. Underneath
Henry's homespun facade, he was a powerfully intelligent man. However, one
thing that frightened him was public speaking. Even speaking in his official
capacity as Hope Falls' legal counsel at Town Hall meetings was a challenge for
him, and those meetings rarely attracted more than 30 or 40 people. Yet, here
he was, about to talk about an emotional subject, in front of a crowd that
numbered close to 5,000. He must be terrified, she thought to herself.

Henry took the mic from
Pastor Harrison and she could see it shake in his hand. Still, he resolutely
took a deep breath and began speaking. Amanda had never been more proud of him
in her life.

“Parker Jacobs and I, like
most kids growing up in Hope Falls, knew each other our entire lives. But I met
Parker Jacobs – really met him – in high school,” he began. “I wasn't what you
would call one of the most popular of kids. I was bookish. I loved learning,
and I always had my nose buried in a book. I even read while I was walking.” 
He paused to let the chuckles in the crowd die down.

“Now, I can't blame that
completely on a love for books. It partly had to do with a fear of people. I
didn't know how to talk to people, or even how to look 'em in the eye. That's
what books gave me. An escape from people, something to stand in between me and
them.

“Well, one day I was walking
down the hall between classes, nose in a book, and I walked straight into a
brick wall. At least that's what it felt like. What it actually was was our
quarterback. He was called, appropriately, Brick.

“Well, let me tell you
something. Old Brick, he was as mean and short-tempered as he was big and
strong. Sorry, Brick, if you're in the crowd today. I know you've mellowed
considerably since then.”

“That's all right!” Came a
shout from far back in the stands. Henry paused again to let the laughter die
down.

“Well, I tell you. Brick
grabbed me by the front of my shirt and picked me straight up off the ground. I
didn't know what was in store for me, but I knew it was nothing good. I started
stammering around, trying to get out an apology, but it was like I said, I
wasn't good with talking to people. And that was under normal circumstances. I
tell you, folks, I was terrified.

“Brick asked me if I
was...how did you put it, Brick?”

“Crusin' for a bruisin'!”
Came a robust call from the back of the bleachers.

“That's right, that's right.
Well, I tell you, I sure wasn't. But I didn't know how to explain. That's when
Parker came along. You see, Parker was – what we used to call in those days – a
big man on campus. He was popular with the other kids. He was good with his
studies, and good at athletics. The teachers all loved him, and so did the
students. Not to mention, he was very well liked by the girls.”  A chuckle rose
again from the crowd.

“So, he comes up to me – and
Brick still has me in the air by the front of the shirt mind you – and he
slings his arm over my shoulder, as casual as you please. And he says, 'Hey,
Henry, how are you doing?' as if we're just good buddies, running into each
other in the hallway, making plans to go to the movies or have a burger later.

“Then he looks at Brick, and
he says, 'Brick, what's the problem you have with my good friend Henry, here?'
and just like that, Brick put me down. I managed to apologize for running into
him, and the whole thing blew over faster than it had started.

“Well, I don't have to tell
you, that's the kind of man Parker was. He never met a stranger. Every person
in the world, to him, was just a friend he hadn't met yet. He always saw the
good in people. Sometimes, that's all he would see, even if no one else could
see it.

“He loved his family more
than pretty much any man I've ever known. His beautiful wife Claire, who he's
now joining in heaven, and their beautiful daughter Amanda. My Manda bear.
Parker lived for 'his girls.'

“And he always knew the
exact right thing to say in an awkward situation. That was just Parker's way.
He brought out the best in people and helped to connect them. Even in his
death, he's bringing people together.”  Amanda could swear that Henry gave her
a meaningful glance.

“I was lucky enough to know
Parker Jacobs, and that's something every person in this stadium has in common.
We're all here together today to pay our respects to a great man, a man who has
brought us all together, and I think that's the best tribute we could give
him.”

Henry stepped back from the
podium and replaced the mic in the stand, wiping his eyes with the red bandana
he always carried with him.

Pastor Harrison returned to
the podium and introduced the next speaker, a member of the city council who
had served with Amanda's father for years. The next couple of people to come up
and give tributes were more of the same, business and political associates
Parker's, and people Amanda knew, although not terribly well.

Then, in a move that was a
total surprise to Amanda, Pastor Harrison said, “And now we have a very special
tribute by one of this town's shining success stories. Here to share a special
song is Karina Black, who we all know as Hope Fall's own Karina Blackstone.”

Karina stood and made her
way up to the platform, squeezing Amanda's shoulder as she passed her.

Karina walked to the center
of the makeshift stage and Pastor Harrison handed her a guitar. Amanda was
surprised and touched to realize that there must have been a fairly significant
amount of planning that went into this. Amanda wondered what she was going to
sing.

Karina walked up to the mic,
lifting the guitar strap over her head and then settling it over her shoulder. She
adjusted its height and then spoke into it, making eye contact with the crowd
as she spoke. It was abundantly clear that, without even trying, she was
absolutely comfortable on a stage with a mic, in front of thousands of people.
She wasn't trying to perform, not in the least. It was just her natural home,
it was where she belonged.

“I've thought long and hard
in the past couple of days about what song I should do today. I knew that I
wanted it to be special, and that it should accurately reflect Parker, and how
I felt about him. I knew, because of that, that it shouldn't be the typical
memorial service emotional ballad, like 'Tears in Heaven' or 'Candle in the
Wind' – but, what should it be, then, “I thought about writing a song for
Parker myself, but honestly, it still feels a little raw to put into words.

“But, then, the perfect song
occurred to me. I remembered when Amanda and I were kids, Parker used to play
this song in the house, and we'd goof around and sing and dance along. Maybe it
was those experiences that influenced my wanting to be a performer, even.”

Karina looked skyward, “This
is for you, Parker.”

With that, she closed her
eyes and began solemnly picking and strumming a familiar melody on her guitar,
and then stepped close to the mic and began to sing, “Some people call me the
space cowboy, some call me the gangster of love, some people call me
Maurice...”

Karina stepped back as the
entire crowd imitated the high pitched, electronic noises which famously
followed that line, whooping, “Wiiiiii Wooouuuu...” and then returned to the
mic and continued singing.

When she reached the chorus,
she gestured to the crowd grandly, with both hands, encouraging them to pick up
the song with her.

What seemed to Amanda like
the entire crowd of 5,000 sang loudly, in unison, “Cause I'm a picker, I'm a
grinner, I'm a lover, and I'm a sinner...” and picked it up again, every time
the chorus came around. Amanda was laughing and crying and singing all at the
same time, and she knew that Karina could not have chosen anything more
perfect.

As Karina passed her on the
way back to her seat, Amanda stood and gave her a long hug, which lasted well
after Pastor Harrison had begun to speak again.

At the end of the scheduled
speakers, Pastor Harrison returned to the podium. “Before the program adjourns,
Parker's daughter Amanda is going to share a few words. But before that, I'd
like to open the floor for anyone that has something they'd like to share about
Parker, such as a story or a tribute.”

To Amanda's surprise, Justin
sprang out of his seat and strode purposefully toward the podium. Because he
had been seated in the folding chairs in front of the bleachers with Amanda and
the rest of Parker's close family and friends, he arrived there before anyone
else, and took the mic without hesitation. Justin was another person who wasn't
big on speaking in front of crowds, or of talking about his feelings, for that
matter. Yet, here he was, not just reluctantly doing both of those things, but
rushing eagerly to do them, resolute and courageous. She felt incredibly proud
of him, as well.