Harriet went nuts with fright when she heard what had happened. She
was worried about Mac. She was devastated. She felt helpless all the way in
Virginia, not being with Mac. If she were there she could try to comfort
her. Here she could do nothing. Just then Tiner walked up to her.
"Lieutenant Sims?" He asked.
"Yes Tiner?"
"I was wondering if you could help me, ma'am. See, the Admiral has put me in charge of preparations for the funeral, but I have no idea what I have to do and where to start. Will you help me?"
'Maybe I can do something for her after all," Harriet thought. "Of coarse I'll help you. Let me get some things out of the way and then we'll start, okay?"
"Yes ma'am. That would be perfect."
"Good I'll meet up with you shortly." Then she watched Tiner go back to his desk. Though sad about the occasion, she was glad that she could do something to help the colonel. She sat at her desk looking around, and then taking a big breath she reached into her bottom drawer and retrieved a large book. In it she had collected the few things she had of her daughter Sarah Harmony Roberts. In it she still had a list of names and places that had done the funeral. She flipped through the first few pages not wanting to get stuck on her daughter as she had in the past. She remembered once crying so hard that the Admiral had been forced to get her to go home and take it easy for the rest of the day.
She looked for the relevant information and then she went to Tiner's office. She replayed her little girl's funeral in her head. She remembered everyone being there to support her. She was so small, only as big as a precious jewel. Harriet had many a time wondered what it would have been like if her girl had survived.
"Lieutenant?" came Tiner's voice.
"Yes, Tiner?" She answered.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Harriet replied, not too sure if sounded like she was fine, but Tiner didn't push and she was glad that he didn't. "I've got a list of phone numbers and people we can ask about how to proceed. Now, this is a marine funeral, so it'll be a little different than a Navy one. We should, however, first call Arlington cemetery to make sure that they lay a space for him, we can ask them what our next step should be."
"Yes, ma'am." Tiner said reaching for the phone number and then with a smooth movement he picked up and dialed the number she had offered him.
Harriet sat next to him and listened in on the conversation. "This is Petty Officer Tiner, I'm calling on behalf of Colonel Mackenzie. Lieutenant Mathew O'Hera passed away this morning, and I have been asked to prepare the funeral." There was a brief silence as he listened to the reply given to the introduction. "Yes, sir. Could you please hold on? . Thank you?" Tiner looked up at Harriet. "Ma'am, they would like to know when we can come down to Arlington to have a look at a place." He said.
Harriet thought for a moment. She still had about two hours of paper work to do, and she was supposed to pick up AJ after school. She glanced at her watch and noted that it was half passed eleven. "If you have a free lunch hour, Tiner, we could go then." Harriet decided.
"Yes, Ma'am." Then returning to the conversation. "How about twelve- thirty, sir?" There was a moment of silence which Harriet imagined came from the man looking at his own appointment book. "Yes, sir. Twelve-thirty. Thank you, sir." Then Tiner hung up. The appointment is at twelve-thirty, ma'am. If we leave at twelve we should have time."
"Alright. They'll take care of everything. We need to put an obituary in the forces paper and in the Marine Magazine, or whatever they have. As soon as we have all that submitted then we'll be done."
"I'll draft an entry today and I'll get it to you, ma'am."
"Good. Then, I'll see you at twelve o'clock, Tiner." Harriet said getting up.
"Aye ma'am." Tiner, being a gentleman also got up as she did, and only sat down as soon as she left.
Harriet went back to her desk to find her husband sitting in her chair looking at the scrapbook. He looked up at her as she came closer. "I didn't know that you had this," he said.
"I made it right after she died. The councilor told me to. It helped. I pull it out when I need to feel close to her." Harriet said softly leaning against the desk.
"Is everything okay, Harriet?" Bud asked.
"Yeah, I needed some phone numbers for Tiner so that we could get in touch with the places for the colonel's uncle." Harriet said. Then taking the book back she placed it back in the spot she had originally pulled it from. "Tiner and I are going to Arlington during lunch to look for a place for Colonel O'Hera. I should be back by two o'clock at the latest." Then picking up the files that Commander Turner had requested earlier that day, Harriet went to find him. She knocked on his door and then hearing an acceptance to enter she opened the door and walked in. She saw Congresswoman Laythem sitting in the chair across from the Commander. "Excuse me, Sir." Then turning to the congresswoman she said: "Hello Congresswoman."
"Hello, Harriet. I hope everything's okay." The congresswoman answered back.
"Besides for the passing of Colonel O'Hera, everything's going well today, thank you." Harriet replied politely.
The congresswoman must have looked at the Commander oddly, because he said: "Mac's Uncle."
"Oh," Ms. Laythem gasped. I'm sorry to hear that. "Please give her my condolences."
"Yes, ma'am." Harriet said, then not missing a beat said: "Commander, I have the files you requested." Harriet walked up to the desk and laid them down. "Tiner and I are going to Arlington this afternoon. We have an appointment at twelve-thirty. Is there anything I can do for you until then?"
"Commander Turner looked around his desk and shuffled a few things around. Then finally declined saying that he'd be in court all afternoon, after which he dismissed her.
Walking back out of his office Harriet went back to her desk. She had another fifteen minutes before they had to leave. She picked up the memo she was writing and then placing it in Commander Rabb's in box she put her cover and handbag together on her chair and made a quick stop to the bathroom. When she came back Tiner was waiting for her. She grabbed her things, and then followed him out of the building.
They sat in the car and then waited. "Tiner?" She asked.
"The Admiral is on his way. He wanted to come along, but told us to go ahead to the car and that he'd be there shortly." Sure enough their CO walked out of the front door of the building being saluted by half a dozen personnel. Then getting in, they drove off.
During the ride to the cemetery the Admiral made small talk with Harriet, asking how little AJ was and what he was up to.
"He's doing well, sir. He's enjoying kinder garden and it's such a hassle to get him home half of the time. He just doesn't want to leave." The Admiral laughed.
"You should bring him round to my place sometime this weekend. We'd love to have him over."
Harriet thought for the moment, "Well, Bud and I did want to go and see his father."
"Is there anything wrong?" The Admiral asked.
"No, Bud's just a little worried about him." Harriet said.
"Then, bring AJ to us. We'll make a day of it. If you bring him Saturday at about ten, we'll spend the day with him, and then the two of you can join up with us for dinner. How does that sound?"
"Wonderful, sir." Harriet smiled, and then sat back in silence for the rest of the ride.
The cemetery was quiet. It was beautiful though. Whoever said that a cemetery had to be ugly and scary had obviously never been to Arlington. The sun was warm on Harriet's face as she walked side by side with the Admiral. Tiner took up the rear behind them looking around at the carious graves. The Admiral led the way to a large building just off of the cemetery and held the door open for Harriet. Harriet walked in and waited for Tiner to come in and find the person they were looking for.
An hour later everything was prepared.
"Yes Tiner?"
"I was wondering if you could help me, ma'am. See, the Admiral has put me in charge of preparations for the funeral, but I have no idea what I have to do and where to start. Will you help me?"
'Maybe I can do something for her after all," Harriet thought. "Of coarse I'll help you. Let me get some things out of the way and then we'll start, okay?"
"Yes ma'am. That would be perfect."
"Good I'll meet up with you shortly." Then she watched Tiner go back to his desk. Though sad about the occasion, she was glad that she could do something to help the colonel. She sat at her desk looking around, and then taking a big breath she reached into her bottom drawer and retrieved a large book. In it she had collected the few things she had of her daughter Sarah Harmony Roberts. In it she still had a list of names and places that had done the funeral. She flipped through the first few pages not wanting to get stuck on her daughter as she had in the past. She remembered once crying so hard that the Admiral had been forced to get her to go home and take it easy for the rest of the day.
She looked for the relevant information and then she went to Tiner's office. She replayed her little girl's funeral in her head. She remembered everyone being there to support her. She was so small, only as big as a precious jewel. Harriet had many a time wondered what it would have been like if her girl had survived.
"Lieutenant?" came Tiner's voice.
"Yes, Tiner?" She answered.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Harriet replied, not too sure if sounded like she was fine, but Tiner didn't push and she was glad that he didn't. "I've got a list of phone numbers and people we can ask about how to proceed. Now, this is a marine funeral, so it'll be a little different than a Navy one. We should, however, first call Arlington cemetery to make sure that they lay a space for him, we can ask them what our next step should be."
"Yes, ma'am." Tiner said reaching for the phone number and then with a smooth movement he picked up and dialed the number she had offered him.
Harriet sat next to him and listened in on the conversation. "This is Petty Officer Tiner, I'm calling on behalf of Colonel Mackenzie. Lieutenant Mathew O'Hera passed away this morning, and I have been asked to prepare the funeral." There was a brief silence as he listened to the reply given to the introduction. "Yes, sir. Could you please hold on? . Thank you?" Tiner looked up at Harriet. "Ma'am, they would like to know when we can come down to Arlington to have a look at a place." He said.
Harriet thought for a moment. She still had about two hours of paper work to do, and she was supposed to pick up AJ after school. She glanced at her watch and noted that it was half passed eleven. "If you have a free lunch hour, Tiner, we could go then." Harriet decided.
"Yes, Ma'am." Then returning to the conversation. "How about twelve- thirty, sir?" There was a moment of silence which Harriet imagined came from the man looking at his own appointment book. "Yes, sir. Twelve-thirty. Thank you, sir." Then Tiner hung up. The appointment is at twelve-thirty, ma'am. If we leave at twelve we should have time."
"Alright. They'll take care of everything. We need to put an obituary in the forces paper and in the Marine Magazine, or whatever they have. As soon as we have all that submitted then we'll be done."
"I'll draft an entry today and I'll get it to you, ma'am."
"Good. Then, I'll see you at twelve o'clock, Tiner." Harriet said getting up.
"Aye ma'am." Tiner, being a gentleman also got up as she did, and only sat down as soon as she left.
Harriet went back to her desk to find her husband sitting in her chair looking at the scrapbook. He looked up at her as she came closer. "I didn't know that you had this," he said.
"I made it right after she died. The councilor told me to. It helped. I pull it out when I need to feel close to her." Harriet said softly leaning against the desk.
"Is everything okay, Harriet?" Bud asked.
"Yeah, I needed some phone numbers for Tiner so that we could get in touch with the places for the colonel's uncle." Harriet said. Then taking the book back she placed it back in the spot she had originally pulled it from. "Tiner and I are going to Arlington during lunch to look for a place for Colonel O'Hera. I should be back by two o'clock at the latest." Then picking up the files that Commander Turner had requested earlier that day, Harriet went to find him. She knocked on his door and then hearing an acceptance to enter she opened the door and walked in. She saw Congresswoman Laythem sitting in the chair across from the Commander. "Excuse me, Sir." Then turning to the congresswoman she said: "Hello Congresswoman."
"Hello, Harriet. I hope everything's okay." The congresswoman answered back.
"Besides for the passing of Colonel O'Hera, everything's going well today, thank you." Harriet replied politely.
The congresswoman must have looked at the Commander oddly, because he said: "Mac's Uncle."
"Oh," Ms. Laythem gasped. I'm sorry to hear that. "Please give her my condolences."
"Yes, ma'am." Harriet said, then not missing a beat said: "Commander, I have the files you requested." Harriet walked up to the desk and laid them down. "Tiner and I are going to Arlington this afternoon. We have an appointment at twelve-thirty. Is there anything I can do for you until then?"
"Commander Turner looked around his desk and shuffled a few things around. Then finally declined saying that he'd be in court all afternoon, after which he dismissed her.
Walking back out of his office Harriet went back to her desk. She had another fifteen minutes before they had to leave. She picked up the memo she was writing and then placing it in Commander Rabb's in box she put her cover and handbag together on her chair and made a quick stop to the bathroom. When she came back Tiner was waiting for her. She grabbed her things, and then followed him out of the building.
They sat in the car and then waited. "Tiner?" She asked.
"The Admiral is on his way. He wanted to come along, but told us to go ahead to the car and that he'd be there shortly." Sure enough their CO walked out of the front door of the building being saluted by half a dozen personnel. Then getting in, they drove off.
During the ride to the cemetery the Admiral made small talk with Harriet, asking how little AJ was and what he was up to.
"He's doing well, sir. He's enjoying kinder garden and it's such a hassle to get him home half of the time. He just doesn't want to leave." The Admiral laughed.
"You should bring him round to my place sometime this weekend. We'd love to have him over."
Harriet thought for the moment, "Well, Bud and I did want to go and see his father."
"Is there anything wrong?" The Admiral asked.
"No, Bud's just a little worried about him." Harriet said.
"Then, bring AJ to us. We'll make a day of it. If you bring him Saturday at about ten, we'll spend the day with him, and then the two of you can join up with us for dinner. How does that sound?"
"Wonderful, sir." Harriet smiled, and then sat back in silence for the rest of the ride.
The cemetery was quiet. It was beautiful though. Whoever said that a cemetery had to be ugly and scary had obviously never been to Arlington. The sun was warm on Harriet's face as she walked side by side with the Admiral. Tiner took up the rear behind them looking around at the carious graves. The Admiral led the way to a large building just off of the cemetery and held the door open for Harriet. Harriet walked in and waited for Tiner to come in and find the person they were looking for.
An hour later everything was prepared.
