Closing Time
Chapter 5
PG-13
Yeah, yeah. Not mine. Just borrowing them!
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The next week was a blur to Jordan. Unsure where to turn, she called Paul, and he helped her make arrangements for a funeral mass. The plot at the cemetery was easy. Max was going to be buried next to Emily. Jordan was glad that there was one less thing she had to make a decision about.
Everyone in Boston had been so good to Jordan since it happened. Even Renee Walcott had been kind, offering to provide round the clock protection for Jordan. She hadn't said anything, but just in case. Since Eddie was by her side at all times helping with the details, Jordan had refused, but thanked Renee for the offer.
She'd called Woody in Los Angeles to tell him. He'd always liked Max. She almost dropped the phone when a female voice, heavy with sleep answered. Stuttering, she asked to speak with Woody. When he got to the phone, she told him what had happened. He gave her his sympathy and said good-bye. Oh well, she hadn't expected a miracle. Especially after the way they'd parted.
The day of the funeral mass dawned bright and crisp. Not unlike the day of her mother's funeral, Jordan thought dolefully as she pulled out the black dress she'd decided on for the occasion. At 9:00, there was a knock at the door. She opened it to find not only Eddie, but also Lois Carver, Garret, Renee, Nigel, Lily, Bug, and Peter.
"Hey, sweetheart," Garret stepped forward and pulled Jordan into a hug. "We decided that we all wanted to be with you the whole way to support you today."
"Thanks, guys." Jordan tried to smile. "Let's get this over with."
The mass and the time at the graveside went by quickly, and yet for Jordan, they were some of the longest moments of her life. After the casket was lowered into the ground, Jordan knelt on the ground beside the fresh grave for a long time.
Eddie knelt beside her and gently stroked her hair. "We'll just wait over by the cars, sweetie. Come whenever you're ready."
"Thanks Eddie." Jordan looked up at him and squeezed his hand. He had somehow turned into her rock through all this. Some people were surprised at how close they'd become. But then again, wasn't hatred just a baby step away from love?
For a brief moment, she had hoped that maybe Woody would come back at least for the service. She'd called him in Los Angeles. But apparently he had moved on and was too busy for her. Surprisingly, she wasn't as hurt as she'd thought she would be. Maybe she'd finally moved on too.
After a while, Jordan slowly got up. "Good-bye, Daddy. I love you." She turned and walked towards her friends, who pulled her into a tight hug. She pulled back and looked at them, almost laughing.
"Oh come on. Dad's Irish. He wouldn't want us to remember him like this. Let's go to the Pogue."
The little party went back to the place they'd gone the night Max died. It was Jordan's now. She had to figure out what to do with it, but for now it was a sanctuary for her; a place where she could feel close to Max.
They gathered around the bar, and once everyone had a drink, Jordan led them in a toast to Max ~ to what he had been and what he had meant to every single one of them. No one noticed Eddie slip over to the jukebox, put in a quarter, and select a now familiar song. He walked back over to the group and put his arm around Jordan's shoulder. She leaned into him slightly, letting her head rest on his shoulder. As the first piano notes sounded, she turned towards him.
"Thanks."
"No problem."
They all fell silent as the song played, each lost in their own memories of Max and their times at the Pogue. . .
Memories flooded Jordan's mind as she walked back towards the bar.
Closing time
Open all the doors and let you out into the world
Max walking her to school her very first day and standing outside the school with tears streaming down his face as she entered the building. . . Max holding her hand at her mother's funeral. . .
Closing time
Turn all of the lights on over every boy and every girl
Max's awkwardness at taking her bra shopping for the first time and dealing with everything else that came with adolescence. . . Max dropping her off at the dorm her first year at Tufts. . .
Closing time
One last call for alcohol so finish your whiskey or beer
Max sitting by her hospital bed after she took pills and alcohol. . .
Closing time
You don't have to go home but you can't stay here
Max making up her bed when he got her the apartment when she moved back to Boston. . . So many memories.
I know who I want to take me home
I know who I want to take me home
I know who I want to take me home
Looking under the bar, she found what she was looking for. She set the picture of the three of them, Max, Jordan and Emily on that camping trip, on the bar next to the candles that had been set out.
Looking at her friends, Jordan smiled the first genuine smile she'd had on her face for days. This was her family. For better or worse, whether they liked it or not. They were stuck together ~ bonded by far more than any of them could say.
Closing time
Time for you to go out to the places you will be from
Closing time
This room won't be open til your brothers or your sisters come
Jordan moved towards them and each pulled her into a hug. They took another look around and moved towards the door. Nigel broke away from the group and went to blow out the candles.
"You'll be glad, luv. Wouldn't want the place to burn down." He gave Jordan another hug.
So gather up your jackets, move it to the exits
I hope you have found a friend
Closing time
Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end
As they walked out of the door, Jordan reached for Eddie's hand. He looked at her questioningly, then nodded and pulled her closer to his side as they walked towards her Explorer.
I know who I want to take me home
I know who I want to take me home
I know who I want to take me home
Take me home. . .
Jordan looked up at the night sky as she was getting into the driver's seat. A shooting star flashed across the sky, bright enough that she could see it even with the city lights.
"Thanks Daddy. I love you." And she got in the car, scared, but ready to face her life as it was going to be now. With her best friend by her side.
**Finito!!**