Isaac Trimbles body lay in an open casket surrounded by morning family members and close friends. Joan was not among them though. She was in the back of the room crying silently. The funeral was already finished and Joan was waiting for her chance to say goodbye to her father by herself. Suddenly did not feel like herself.
"Daddy! No!" She screamed out loud. Everyone looked at her. She ran over to the coffin and began shaking her father's body violently. "Come back Daddy! Come back." She screamed like a child. Mrs. Tremble tried to wrestle her daughter from the body but couldn't.
"Joseph! Come here and help me! You know her well." She yelled over her daughter's continuous screams of "Daddy come back!" Joseph came over and began talking to her soothingly.
"It's okay Joan. Just come quietly. That's right. Come on." Joan allowed Joseph to half carry half drag her away from the coffin and outside into the fresh air. "Joan. Everything going to be alright." He said soothingly. Joan just stared. "Joan? Joan?" He asked more urgently. She continued to stare as though looking at a mildly interesting show. . Joseph lay her down on the grass. She didn't even flinch.
He was just about to get her mother when suddenly she snapped out of it. Tears began to fill her eyes as she sat up. Joseph looked at her. He never really knew what to do when girls cried but he tried all the same.
"Don't cry Joan. You know he wouldn't like to see you cry for him." He said, putting an arm around her.
"I can't believe he's gone! I-I-I j-j-just can't face it!" And she broke down entirely. She began sobbing on his jacket. Joseph patted her head.
"It's alright." He said.
"It's not alright Joseph! Everything's going wrong at the same moment. Dad died two days before my 19th birthday. You like F nevermind but you know. I'll never be the same again!" She said.
"Joan! Don't say that! You know that he would not like to see you despairing! Pull yourself together!" Said Joseph startled by Joan's new and strange behavior. Joan never acted like this.
"Come on Joan. You can say you goodbye now if you've calmed down." Said Mrs. Trimble coming out. "Everyone else has left." Joan followed her into the church. She went up to the coffin and looked at her father's face.
"Goodbye Dad." She said with tears streaming down her face at the thought that he would never look at her with pride or smile at her again. This thought broke her heart. "I love you Daddy."