Another 5 years later
Sunday morning at church
"I speak to you today, in my mind knowing I will leave you all later to do the hardest thing I will ever do in my entire life." Lucy began. Her congregation paid rapt attention. "Even harder than child birth." She added with a smile. Laughter circled the room. "I know you have all heard my family's story over the past ten years. My brother Simon was in a car accident, and fell into a coma. My mother, my sisters and I had a falling out. And my life was changed forever in many ways. This was 10 years ago today." Lucy took a deep breath. "My husband, father, twin brothers and I parted paths from my mother and my two sisters. We have not spoken since then. They left, and we have not seen them since then."
Eric sat in the choir pews, behind Lucy. He was saddened by her sermon, and what they were going to do. He looked around the congregation. He knew all their faces, and Lucy's sermon seemed to affect every one of them. That is, except for a petite brunette women in the back who Eric had not seen before. She grasped all of his attention, and he shuddered. He looked back at Lucy.
"It has been a hard 10 ten years, yet a prosperous and joyous ten years just the same. I have watched my twin brothers grow from cute toddlers to intelligent young men. I have taken my father's position in the church, and have fulfilled my destiny. I have given birth to a daughter, Julia, who is 4 and a half today." Julia turned in her pew and gave everyone a wide grin. The congregation chuckled. "We have been the closest of families, my brothers, my father, my husband and daughter and I. and every day for the past ten years, we have all visited my brother Simon in the hospital. Every single day. When David broke his arm in twelve places and had to stay overnight, he went to Simon's room. When Sam went on a hospital tour, he snuck away to visit his older brother. When I gave birth to Julia, I had the nurses wheel me into his room so he could be one of the first to see his neice. I know that I and my twin brothers have not missed a day to visiting our brother. That's over 3650 days, from 5 minutes to five hours, sitting with a comatose boy. And today will be the last day we go and visit Simon." She took another breath and continued. The woman in the back was on the edge of her seat, and caught Lucy's eye as well as her father's.
"Simon has been in a coma for ten years. The doctors told us three years ago that he would never regain conciousness. And this afternoon we are letting go. We are taking Simon off the life-support machines, and letting him go on his way to God. Please, do not think of this as death, but as a beginning. Simon will go to heaven now. I remember, when I was thirteen, my grandmother died. Simon knew she went to heaven, but wanted to know geographically where that was. And now he will know. Because heaven is a real place. It has a geographic location. Heaven is in each and every one of our hearts. And now he will go there too." Lucy continued to talk about life and death, and the nature of things. Eric noticed that the lady in the back quickly left her pew. Then in struck him like a knife who she was. He couldn't believe he could not realize before. He left his seat and followed her.
He ran after the girl, and followed her into the hall of offices.
"Ruth Camden!" he shouted. She turned her head in surprise. "Ruthie," he gasped, and she ran up and hugged him, sobbing.
"Daddy, I'm so sorry. I came to see you all, and to see Simon. Oh, why did I have to do this to you? I feel terrible Dad!"
"Its alright sweetheart, its alright." He said patting her head. They went into his old office, Lucy's office now.
"Mom is dead." Ruthie told him flatly. "She killed herself when she came back to Glen Oak with Mary two years ago. It was when she was told Simon would never wake up.
"And Mary?" he asked hesitantly.
"She helped mom do it, then ran off to Florida to find Robbie and make him marry her. I was in college the whole time. I still am. But, I came here on the tenth anniversary of the event. I needed to see him. I needed to see you all."
Sunday morning at church
"I speak to you today, in my mind knowing I will leave you all later to do the hardest thing I will ever do in my entire life." Lucy began. Her congregation paid rapt attention. "Even harder than child birth." She added with a smile. Laughter circled the room. "I know you have all heard my family's story over the past ten years. My brother Simon was in a car accident, and fell into a coma. My mother, my sisters and I had a falling out. And my life was changed forever in many ways. This was 10 years ago today." Lucy took a deep breath. "My husband, father, twin brothers and I parted paths from my mother and my two sisters. We have not spoken since then. They left, and we have not seen them since then."
Eric sat in the choir pews, behind Lucy. He was saddened by her sermon, and what they were going to do. He looked around the congregation. He knew all their faces, and Lucy's sermon seemed to affect every one of them. That is, except for a petite brunette women in the back who Eric had not seen before. She grasped all of his attention, and he shuddered. He looked back at Lucy.
"It has been a hard 10 ten years, yet a prosperous and joyous ten years just the same. I have watched my twin brothers grow from cute toddlers to intelligent young men. I have taken my father's position in the church, and have fulfilled my destiny. I have given birth to a daughter, Julia, who is 4 and a half today." Julia turned in her pew and gave everyone a wide grin. The congregation chuckled. "We have been the closest of families, my brothers, my father, my husband and daughter and I. and every day for the past ten years, we have all visited my brother Simon in the hospital. Every single day. When David broke his arm in twelve places and had to stay overnight, he went to Simon's room. When Sam went on a hospital tour, he snuck away to visit his older brother. When I gave birth to Julia, I had the nurses wheel me into his room so he could be one of the first to see his neice. I know that I and my twin brothers have not missed a day to visiting our brother. That's over 3650 days, from 5 minutes to five hours, sitting with a comatose boy. And today will be the last day we go and visit Simon." She took another breath and continued. The woman in the back was on the edge of her seat, and caught Lucy's eye as well as her father's.
"Simon has been in a coma for ten years. The doctors told us three years ago that he would never regain conciousness. And this afternoon we are letting go. We are taking Simon off the life-support machines, and letting him go on his way to God. Please, do not think of this as death, but as a beginning. Simon will go to heaven now. I remember, when I was thirteen, my grandmother died. Simon knew she went to heaven, but wanted to know geographically where that was. And now he will know. Because heaven is a real place. It has a geographic location. Heaven is in each and every one of our hearts. And now he will go there too." Lucy continued to talk about life and death, and the nature of things. Eric noticed that the lady in the back quickly left her pew. Then in struck him like a knife who she was. He couldn't believe he could not realize before. He left his seat and followed her.
He ran after the girl, and followed her into the hall of offices.
"Ruth Camden!" he shouted. She turned her head in surprise. "Ruthie," he gasped, and she ran up and hugged him, sobbing.
"Daddy, I'm so sorry. I came to see you all, and to see Simon. Oh, why did I have to do this to you? I feel terrible Dad!"
"Its alright sweetheart, its alright." He said patting her head. They went into his old office, Lucy's office now.
"Mom is dead." Ruthie told him flatly. "She killed herself when she came back to Glen Oak with Mary two years ago. It was when she was told Simon would never wake up.
"And Mary?" he asked hesitantly.
"She helped mom do it, then ran off to Florida to find Robbie and make him marry her. I was in college the whole time. I still am. But, I came here on the tenth anniversary of the event. I needed to see him. I needed to see you all."