Let Sorrow Have It's Day a second new Lumific by Rielle
written by Richard Kerr and John Bettis, recorded by Barry Manilow
Goodbye
There's a word I've hated all my life
Unanticipated tears can hurt so much
My friend
It's so sad to see you at love's end
I've been through the pain myself
It's really wrong, to play it strong
Go on and cry till you run dry
It's alright
Go on and scream, at broken dreams
It's alright
Let sorrow have its day
And when it's done
Life will go on
In time, thoughts of, what might have been, will leave your mind
And sweet forgetfulness will come,
Don't worry now just when or how
Go on and cry till you run dry
It's alright
Go on and scream at broken dreams
It's alright
Let sorrow have its day
Not to cry out
It's no crime
In time life will go on
Go on and cry till you run dry
It's alright
Go on and scream, at broken dreams
It's alright
Let sorrow have its day
And when it's done
Life will go on and on
It's alright
Oh it's alright
Let sorrow have its day
And when it's done
Life will go on and on
Disclaimer,
a)
if you recognize the characters in this work of fiction they belong to Ken Corday, Sony and NBC in something like that order. I don't own them, and am not making any profit from this work of fiction.
b)
This is an alternative fiction, with some basic similarities and some major differences to what is aired on Days of Our Lives. For those who haven't read 'One Voice' by this author, the main differences are in the parentage of the 'Geminis', and the motives of several characters, mostly for the good.
c)
Some elements of this story may involve or have characters discussing consensual sexual relations between adults. For that reason, the rating on this story should be PG-17. If you find such concepts or content not to your liking, or you are under 18 years of age, please, read no further.
Let Sorrow Have Its Day, and its companion pieces, One Voice which precedes it, and Friends and Lovers, which follows, are dedicated to the giving, caring, funny, and genuinely talented Lumiers at Second Chances, because they have been such good friends, and that's what I feel they've given my creativity, a second chance. Thanks so much, all of you, you inspire me everyday. And great thanx to Ali and Bryan, whose work for the past ten years has inspired us all.
Rielle
Part 1
The whole town of Salem seemed to lay silent that morning, as late summer was turning to fall. The whole town seemed to be huddling inside their doors, dreading to step outside., she thought. And at least half the town seemed to have made their way to this quiet, almost park-like spot, not far out of the town limits.
That wasn't exactly surprising, she considered. All the people who stood beside, around and across from her had reasons, the worst of all possible reasons to be standing here as she was, numb with shock and exhausted by grief. Even the new parish priest, officiating today had unshed tears brightening his grey eyes.
Unbelievably, this young man was only a few years older than Sami, and his ties to Salem ran as deep or deeper than her own. He was the son and grandson of one of the founding families in Salem. But in fact, he was someone who'd grown up far from Salem, as his mother's concert tours had taken them both around the world. He was Tod Chandler Curtis, the adopted son of Liz Chandler Dimera Craig Curtis, and the late Dr. Neil Curtis.
In any other circumstances, Sami knew she would have looked this newcomer over, and found him fairly easy on the eyes, despite his priesthood. Tod Curtis had his mother's unruly blond hair and his father's piercing grey eyes. And having come to his vocation after a stint as a Navy pilot, he had an athlete/fighter's build. But only the slightest hint of a blush warmed Sami's face as these thoughts crossed her mind. Neither she nor Tod, nor anyone else standing here could focus on anything but the row of graves they had encircled.
Fifteen graves. And when their fiercest sorrow lifted, everyone standing here would know, and would probably tell each other, they knew there could have been a great many more. Fifteen townspeople were being laid to rest by their spouses and their kids, their friends and their families, victims of something most in Salem still couldn't comprehend. In fact, some Salemites were absent today because they were still recovering, slowly and painfully recovering in a ward that had been quarantined at SUMC until only a few days ago.
Sami held her ground and clung to her son, knowing it wouldn't help Will if she started bawling here and now. But that was what she wanted so much to do, just start crying and never, ever stop. She wanted to lay on the ground in front of some of those graves and wail and beat the earth as if it were her enemy. And, glancing over at Lucas, who stood as if at attention on a parade ground, but with one hand firmly on Will's other shoulder, Sami guessed he felt the same.
Then Lucas glanced back and she knew for sure. His eyes gave away his soul, and his soul was in as much torment as hers. The same shock and angry disbelief raged in Lucas' face that Sami felt. The same desire to curse life, death, and all the living world that had her biting her lower lip, had set Lucas' mouth in a hard, taut line. And yet he managed to study her face closely and nod in answer to the question she hadn't asked aloud.
'Lucas' she silently mouthed, as she'd had to do, a year ago.
"S'okay, Sami." he whispered back, and instead of touching her face under her mourning veil, messed Will's sunbleached hair.
She shook her head at him, Lucas was putting up a fine, brave front, making her remember the first nickname she gave him. But he wasn't okay, she wasn't okay and nothing was going to be okay for a long time. Following his example though, Sami experimented with a wan smile.
"Mom," Will whispered, squirming and tugging on Sami's sleeve. "you're dripping on me."
"Sorry, little man." she told him, swallowing a laugh that no one around them would possibly understand.
But Lucas did. With a pale imitation of his usual smirk, he pulled out a black linen handkerchief and handed it to Sami. "My dear, never in any emergency of your life," he said with what had to be his worst Gable imitation ever, 'have I known you to carry a simple, practical handkerchief. Take mine, please."
"Sir, you are no gentleman!" Sami replied, accepting the cloth and making a great show of daintily wiping her eyes and nose.
Their banter was cut off immediately by the whispering pages of the hymnals in every pair of hands around them. Together, the grieving families sang the processional and began filing towards the row of coffins, each one with a rose to lay there as a last, loving gesture. Lucas offered Sami his arm, and today she felt no need to refuse that support. In fact she was glad to have it.
Will carried three roses, one white, one red, and one yellow. Lucas carried five, and so did Sami. Behind them, although neither one had realized it, walked Kate, leaning on Phillip's strong right arm. And Billie was keeping up as brave a front as her brother'. Despite having lost two men who meant so much in her life, she was stubbornly refusing to lean on Mike Horton. In fact, she was clearly trying to comfort him. Billie knew very well what it meant to lose a father you weren't sure whether you loved or were loved by him. Bill Horton had come home to help his family and his town, and like all the others being buried today, lost his life fighting the disease.
Alongside the young doctor walked the man who had called Mike his son for a third of his life. Astonishing everyone who knew him, Mickey Horton had escaped the swift deadly illness that struck so many of his friends and kin. He'd been the patriarch of the family for a long time now, but his face was a mask of pain today like so many others here. The granddame of all Salem, Alice Horton had refused to leave her work at the Center her family built from scratch. She had seemed indestructible to so many in Salem for so very long, no one seemed to be able to comprehend that while Alice was undoubtedly reunited with her beloved Tom, her remains rested in a silken mahogany casket, beneath a blanket of pale pink roses.
Sami found herself focusing on the faces around her now, as she hadn't done all morning. Mimi was clinging to her mother, and not so surprisingly at this moment, next to her Belle and Cassie were sobbing in each other's arms. Sami left Lucas and Will for a moment then, striding quickly over to hug both her younger sisters. Then she took each by the hand and brought them back with her, with a nod to Mimi to follow.
I'm the oldest, now. Sami suddenly realized. Eric, you were always the slowpoke, second-born, and now you should be stuck with John, Brady, Shawn, Hope and Carrie, in a bed at the Center. But you're not; you've run on ahead of me. No fair, Eric Roman Brady, no fair! So now I'm The Brady here. I'd better act like it.
"We're Brady's... and Evanses," Sami quietly encouraged her sisters. "We're strong, proud and extremely thick headed. Pick up your chins, girls, and show them what we're made of. Ready? Mimi, of course I meant you, too. You're part of the tribe, now. Lucas, you and Will go with Mike and Billie first, then meet us at the end. Let's get this show on the road."
Determinedly, Sami walked down the row of graves, to their goal at the far end. Still feeling like she'd rather be six feet under herself, she refused to let it show on her face or in her voice. Only when she found herself flicking tears off her cheeks with each hand did she nearly break down.
"Granpa." Sami said softly, laying a bright red rose on Sean Brady's coffin, "I miss you like fire. Remember when you used to say that to me, when I'd call up from Colorado? We had a grand wake, you know, I thought the Pub would explode for all the people crowding in."
"And Grandma, I really wish you were here holding me. But everyone who ever knew you knows that you'd never let Sean Brady go traipsing off, not even to the Highest Heaven, without you. Have a grand time, okay, and wait for us." Sami wept, laying a white rose so pale it held hints of Irish green.
"Slowpoke," Sami said, laying a wine-red rose on the next coffin. "Do you have any idea how angry I am with you right now? Why, why did you have to come home only to leave me behind again! If I didn't love you so much Eric Brady, I swear, I'd hate you the rest of my life. But only one other person knows me as well as you, little brother. So, you know I don't stay angry. Take good care of them, okay?"
Lucas and Will caught up to the four young women before Sami could take the next step. And she couldn't remember ever being more grateful to see them, and feel their steadying hands on her arms. She'd reached the last two graves, and the worst point of her day.
"Daddy," she wept again, "I want to be as mad at you as I want to be at Eric, but I c-can't. Because this time I know you're n-not ever coming back. And this time I've never wanted you standing in front of me, telling me everything I've ever done wrong more than I do right now. But this time is different another way, too. This time I'm not alone, and this time, I know I never should have blamed you ... And this time I know just how much you love me. So I want to make sure, real sure, Daddy, that you know how much I love you. Okay?" As gently as if she was placing it in his hand, Sami now laid a bright yellow rose on Roman's coffin. "This is from Mom." she whispered.
Then she somehow managed to step back and face the final trial. Leaning down to kiss the surface of a deep midnight blue coffin, Sami sat back on her knees, oblivious to the harm done her mourning clothes. Then she laid a cream colored rose down and fought for the strength to say her piece. "This is from Daddy. I can hardly remember a time when he wasn't breaking the budget to bring roses like this home to you. And now you two can kibbitz forever about how John and Lucas, and I take care of the kids.
And we will, Mom, I swear. Cassie and Belle ... they only look tender and soft on the outside, they're tough as steel magnolias on the inside, just like you, Mom. John's getting better every day, Mom. And so is Rex. Hey, I guess you know that if it weren't for my genius brother nobody would have figured out how to fight the virus. But you gotta help him now, Mom. He's just one big ache, cos he thinks he could have found it out sooner. But I know Tony will help, as soon as he's well, again. Who would have ever thought a Dimera could really love kids he only found two years ago? I've gotta to take Will home, and then over to Kate's, Mom. We've 'signed a truce', Kate and me. For Lucas, and Will' sake. See, I knew that would make you smile. Funny, I can feel you smiling at me, and probably laughing, too."
But this was no day for laughter in Salem, not a single family had gone untouched, and mostly due to their own heroism, in the face of a silent, faceless killer, fifteen irreplaceable lives were lost. Sami looked up the long row of gravesites, seeing so many Salemites kneeling as she was, bidding farewell to beloved friends and kin. Standing up, Sami felt almost compelled to memorize the names and faces of those so shockingly suddenly lost: Alice Horton, Drs Bill and Sandy Horton, Abigail Deveraux and her heartbroken mother, Jennifer Rose, Nicole Walker Kiriakis, Austin Reed, Neil Curtis, Lexie Perrault Carver, Sean, Caroline, Eric, Bo and Roman Brady, and Marlena Evans Craig Brady Black.
How could this have happened to us? Sami wondered, hugging her own son close again, and then opening her arms wide to take in Lucas, Belle, Mimi, Cassie and Will. How did we get here, today, and how are we going to go on?"