The next morning was a bright sunny cloudless day in Pasadena during a grim occasion. The friends dressed in mostly black clothes for Barry Kripke's upcoming funeral. It was also the day they planned on luring Emily into their traps, to end the madness for once and all. Raj nervously straightened his black tie, with Emily in his mind.
"For God's sake Sheldon! Let it go! He may have not been the greatest guy, but he died a tragic and preventable death! I don't care if he was one of your mortal enemies. After all, he did attend Howard's bachelor party and that gathering you had a while back with Zack and Stuart." Leonard's voice replied with annoyance.
"Yes, while that is true but he sang the worst version of "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" I have ever heard and not to mention he humiliated me on NPR radio!" Sheldon snapped with an irritated look on his face.
Raj let out a loud laugh.
"Dude, that was so funny!" he exclaimed in laughter.
"No it was not!" Sheldon whined.
Raj's laughter soon faded away and he slowly tied the laces of his black dress shoes.
"You okay Raj?" Penny asked him as she touched up her makeup.
"Yeah- but it's just, I'm still upset over everything..."
"Don't worry sweetie. We got it covered with those traps and our bats and mace."
The group nervously drove to the funeral home, armed with their baseball bats and pepper spray cans.
"Promise me that you will be on your best behavior? Please do not say anything bad about him at all, especially in front of his family!" Leonard sternly told Sheldon.
"I promise." Sheldon huffed with annoyance as they reached into the crowded funeral home parking lot.
"Wow. It's mobbed. Isn't this the same place where Professor Proton's funeral was?" Penny asked.
"Yep. I remember- You got to be kidding me! There's already a line outside the building!" Leonard yelled, pointing at the long line in front of the funeral home.
"Was Professor Proton's this crowded?" Sheldon wondered, feeling slightly guilty that he did not attend his childhood idol's funeral.
"Actually... no, it wasn't. This is much more crowded." Leonard replied.
When they eventually found a parking spot, the met up with the Wolowitzes and Stuart and stood in the line. It seemed to move at a snail's pace. Raj recognized many faculty and students from Caltech. Raj felt terrified, being at a funeral and the thought of Emily coming to kill him and his friends. As they finally reached inside, Howard nudged Raj.
"Oh my God! Look who it is!" he whispered.
They turned to see Leslie Winkle, who had gained at least 15 pounds, teary-eyed and with a man who was about as wide as a refrigerator. Sheldon turned away and tried to hide from her.
"Wow, she's... changed." Leonard awkwardly remarked.
Raj could not care less since Emily was on his mind. He stared at his small can of pepper spray to ease his anxiety. When they moved deeper inside, they saw various floral arrangements and posters with pictures of Kripke throughout his life. Sheldon looked at them with discomfort.
"Oh dear Lord...I don't think I can take this anymore." he muttered to himself, with Kripke and Leslie plaguing his mind.
Raj gasped when he saw Kripke's closed navy blue casket from afar. It was surrounded by flowers, with a white lily and rose spray on top of it, and a large framed photo of Kripke was next to it. A large blow hit Raj's stomach. At that moment, he realized that Barry Kripke was truly gone. He began to feel teary-eyed as the wave of guilt struck him once more. He now hated Emily with all of his heart, after seeing the devastated Kripke family.
The friends, including Sheldon shook the family's hands and expressed their condolences. The funeral service started not too long after and everyone sat down in aging brown wooden chairs.
"Nice job Sheldon." Leonard whispered, praising Sheldon's good behavior. The service began with a middle-aged pastor with salt-and-pepper hair thanking everyone who attended. Several eulogies were spoken, including President Siebert and Jennifer, Kripke's younger sister who was about Penny's age and had the same speech impediment as her brother. The service seemed like an endless blur to Raj. All he could think of was Emily and how they were going to lure her into their trap. He pictured her sadistically smiling and clutching a steak knife. He grabbed his can of pepper spray from out of his pocket.
Howard looked at him with concern.
"You okay buddy? Emily's not here," he whispered.
Raj snapped out of his paranoia as Jennifer finished her eulogy. She burst into tears and hugged her husband and her two preschool-aged sons. Both boys were fixated on their iPads, oblivious to their surroundings. He looked at his friends. Sheldon sat upright and unbroken. Penny and Bernadette were both teary-eyed and leaning onto their husbands' shoulders. Leonard and Howard looked on piteously. Stuart seemed to be distracted and looked around the funeral home.
Raj too began to cry and never expected to mourn someone who frequently bullied and humiliated one of his best friends. He knew deep down that Kripke never deserved such a horrific and premature death and still felt the remorse. He could not stop thinking of Kripke's grieving family. They lost a son, a brother, and an uncle. At the moment, he wished that he had never followed his instincts to end his relationship with Emily at the graveyard just one week prior. Amidst his tears, he looked over his shoulders to look for Emily. Behind him, he eyed Leslie sobbing as the overweight man placed his arm around her. He quickly looked away and continued to search for the red-haired dermatologist. She was nowhere to be seen.
He let out a weak sigh of relief and looked back at the casket. The pastor was speaking again. Raj could hear him talking but could not make out what exactly he was saying. The service finally ended with Sarah McLachlan's "I Will Remember You." Horror rushed through Raj, knowing that he would soon have to face Emily. Everyone rose from their spots, chatting or crying.
"Stay together everyone..." Leonard whispered as the others followed him to the crowded parking lot.
