The Procession
Everything grew quite as the procession of matching limos and mismatched cars slowly
crept by. They turned in a graceful arc and passed through the heavy wrought iron
gates that were thrown open like a pair of arms, beckoning for visitors to come in and
join those that were already inside. He glanced into his rear view mirror to see if the kids
had fallen asleep. They always seemed to fall asleep in their car seats the moment before
they arrived at their destination. But this time, they were watching the procession with
the same quiet reverence of their parents.
He waited a few minutes after the last car had passed before he followed. He was
relieved to see that the procession had veered off to the left. Turning to the right,
he wound his way down the road, past the hundreds of old weathered headstones
that stood in testimony to the civil war dead. Looking at them,he couldn't help but
wonder about the day, years from now, when his friends would join their ranks,
when their headstone would become old and weathered and their existence would
only be remembered by a passing grounds keeper or the occasional squirrel as it
tried to hide a nut where granite met the ground.
Parking against the curb as they reached their destination, Javier Esposito mirrored
his wife as he exited the vehicle. Opening the rear passenger door, he leaned into
the back and began unbuckling the harness that held his son into his car seat. With
practiced experience, Lanie quickly freed their three year old daughter from her seat
and lifted her out. She swung the toddler onto her left hip and paced beside the car
while she waited for her husband to finish his job.
His four year old son was struggling to get out before the last button was pushed,
making a difficult job of a simple task.
"Hold still a second, will ya?" He could command his team of detectives, but he couldn't
seem to get his child to listen.
Lanie just shook her head as she watched this same scenario that played itself out
every morning and evening to and from day care. She hoped one day they would
come to an understanding and get out of the car without her having to intervene.
"If you two don't stop fooling around, we're going without you!" She made a move
to walk away. Her threat stilled the squirming boy and the final coupling was freed.
Defiantly independent, his son refused any assistance and in one fluid motion slid
backwards out of the seat. He tumbled out the door and was off and running to his
mother lest he be left behind. As he closed the door, Javier looked over the top of the
car to the rise of the ground where his wife and kids were waiting. The eye roll that
Lanie gave him reminded him of why they were there.
It was five years to the day.
Authors note: I bet it seems like five years since I posted the last chapter to this story.
Sorry, but my muse on this one had left me and it returned only yesterday after the death
of my grandfather. There is only one long chapter left. It will explore what has passed
for friends and family since that tragic day, and it will end, as life does, by coming full circle.
