CHAPTER SIX
(chapter title -The Memorial Service)
"Will I lose my dignity? Will someone care?
Will I wake tomorrow from this nightmare?" Roger sang.
"Will I lose my dignity? Will someone care?
Will I wake tomorrow from this nightmare?
Will I lose my dignity? Will someone care?
Will I wake tomorrow from this nightmare?
Will I lose my dignity? Will someone care?
Will I wake tomorrow from this nightmare?
Will I lose my dignity? Will someone care?
Will I wake tomorrow from this nightmare?
Will I lose my dignity? Will someone care?
Will I wake tomorrow from this nightmare?" John, Mark, Hannah, Anna, Joanne, Maureen, Jules and Eileen sang.
It was two months later and it was the day of Collins' memorial service. Collins' family and friends were there - along with Benny, Alison and Jacob. After Roger, John, Mark, Hannah, Anna, Joanne, Maureen, Jules and Eileen finished the song, they went back to their seats in the front pews.
"Thank you for blessing us with that wonderful song." Father Chapman thanked the group, smiling slightly. "I believe we now have a song sung by Mark Cohen. Roger Davis will be playing the guitar." Father Chapman sat back down in his chair as Roger and Mark went to the microphone that was set up in the open space before the pews.
"Hi. This song is called How Did I Get Here and my best friend, Roger, wrote it." Mark spoke into the mike as Roger played the tune. Mark took a deep breath and sang the song.
"How did we get here?
How the heck…
Pan left - close on the steeple of the church
How did I get here?
How the heck…
Summer, a summer's day - last year
How could a night warm
Be so freezing cold?
How could a morning this mild
Be so raw?
Why are entire years strewn
On the cutting room floor of memory
When single frames from one magic night
Forever flicker in close-up
On the 3-D Imax of my mind
That's poetic, that's pathetic
Why did Mimi knock on
Roger's door
And Collins choose that phone booth
Back where Angel set up her drums?
Why did Maureen's equipment break down?
Why am I the witness?
And when I capture it on film
Will it mean that it's the end
And I'm alone?" He finished the song and sat back down. He and Roger had changed the word 'hell' to 'heck' that morning. Father Chapman smiled, although he didn't look too thrilled. "Thank you for that…lovely song, Mr. Cohen and Mr. Davis. Would Julie Davis, Hannah Johnson-Jefferson, Anna Johnson-Jefferson, Jacob Coffin, John Cohen, Mark Cohen, Roger Davis and Eileen Collins come forth, please?" Jules, Hannah, Anna, Jacob, John, Mark, Roger and Eileen walked to the open space in front of the pews.
"This song was written by my daughter and I. It's called Love Heals." Roger told the congregation. He heard soft chattering in the congregation as he nodded at the accompanist to play Love Heals.
They finished the song a few minutes later and the congregation clapped politely. Father Chapman was beaming as he signaled for the group to return to their seats.
Two hours later, it was the luncheon following the service. Roger and Jules went down the line of food, deciding what they were going to have for lunch. There were finger sandwiches, a fruit plate, cheese and crackers, some sort of soup and carrots with Swiss cheese wrapped around them.
"Does any of this look good to you?" Roger asked his daughter. She shook her head and took some fruit. Roger smiled and went to sit at the two tables reserved for them. He saw Eileen, John, Hannah and Anna at one and Joanne, Maureen and Mark at the other. He went over to the table where the adults were and sat down next to Mark.
"You're not hungry?" Mark asked, taking a bite of his finger sandwich. Roger played with the small amount of food on his plate and took a small bite of his finger sandwich.
"Hey guys." Jules greeted her friends. John smiled and patted the chair next to him. Jules sat down and took a grape off the stem and ate it.
"What's going to happen to you, Eileen, now that Uncle Collins is gone?" Anna asked, taking a bite of the sandwich Joanne had made for her and Hannah.
"Well, I'm going to go live with Jules and her family, chica." Eileen told her, smiling at Jules. Jules smiled back at her friend.
"Do you even know these people, Eileen - besides the Coffin family?" Hannah asked. Eileen looked around - she recognized some of her dad's students and their families, but other than that, she didn't know anyone.
"There's a few students that my dad tutored, but other than them, I don't know who the other people are." Eileen told her friends, looking down at her plate. She then excused herself and walked out of the room. Jules decided to follow her, staying a good distance behind her friend. Eileen disappeared into the bathroom, so Jules decided to follow her inside. Eileen went to the third stall from the end, so Jules went in the first one. She heard Eileen crying a few minutes later - not soft, gentle sobs, but hard, choked-up sobs. Jules unlocked her stall and went to the one that Eileen was in.
"Eileen, it's me. What's wrong?" Jules inquired. Eileen muttered something in Spanish.
"I'm sorry, sweetie, what?" Jules asked.
"I said, go away. I'll be out in a few." Eileen sobbed. Her sobs touched Jules' heart, but if her friend wanted to be left alone, then she would let her be. Sighing, she made her way out of the bathroom and back to the area where the luncheon was being held.
"Everything okay?" John asked as Jules sat next to him. She nodded and saw that a bowl of broccoli and cheese soup had been placed in front of her. Before she could open her mouth, John told her that her dad had gotten her the soup.
"Figured. He always knew that broccoli and cheese soup was my favorite kind." Jules blew on the soup so that she could take a tiny bite without burning herself.
"Is Eileen gonna be all right?" Anna asked, peeling a banana and eating it.
"I think so. She just needs some space right now." Jules told her just as Roger came up to the table.
"We're going to go to Bella Donna's for dinner tonight and then we're going to go see Ice Age 2: The Meltdown with the Coffin family." Roger informed the kids. At that moment, Eileen came in and sat down next to Anna on one side and Jules on the other.
"You okay, Eileen?" Jules asked. Eileen nodded and brushed the tears away from her face.
"Si, I'm fine." Eileen answered.
"We're going to go to Bella Donna's for dinner tonight and then we're going to go see Ice Age 2: The Meltdown with the Coffin family." Jules repeated the plans for that evening. Eileen just smiled and nodded, lost in thoughts of her father and how humorous, caring and wonderful he had been.
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"That was wonderful. Thanks Uncle Mark, Uncle Roger, Aunt Joanne and Aunt Maureen." Eileen thanked her aunts and uncles. They just smiled and told her she was welcome. The group had just finished their supper at Bella Donna's and they were now walking to the multiplex three blocks away.
"Dad, why did you have to invite Benny and his family? His son is a total jerk wad!" Jules hissed, taking her dad's arm and placing it around her shoulders.
"Julie Hope Davis! Please don't talk like that about the Coffin family! They haven't done anything to you, have they?" Roger asked his daughter, his tone firm. Jules cast her eyes downward until she heard singing coming from behind her. Looking behind her, she heard Joanne, Maureen, Hannah and Anna singing songs from the musical, Wicked. Eileen joined in when the four girls sang What Is This Feeling. Jules smiled and went to walk with the four women. Eileen was walking with Mark and John, who were trailing the group.
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The next day, Joanne, Maureen, Mark and Roger helped Eileen get her things from Collins and her loft while Hannah, Anna, John and Jules played outside. Eileen needed to be there, just in case they found something important that had belonged to her father. Sighing, Eileen scooped up a large bundle of clothes and carried them to Jules' room. The two girls would be sharing a room, so Eileen was happy about that.
"Where do you want this guy?" Joanne asked, carrying in a large stuffed horse. It was brown and white with a white blaze down the middle of its face. Eileen smiled as Joanne brought the horse in.
"Rain! I haven't seen her in forever!" Eileen squealed, taking the horse from Joanne and putting it in a corner of the room. Petting its mane, Eileen headed out of Jules' and her room and went back to where the adults were working. Maureen helped Eileen put up some of her posters while Joanne folded and put Eileen's clothes in Jules' closet. Roger and Mark were in Collins and Eileen's old loft, sorting out pictures and old papers.
Jules, John, Hannah and Anna came inside and went to Jules' room. Eileen was there, sitting on the couch, reading. Jules smiled at her and went to sit upon her bed.
"So, what did you, Uncle Mark, Aunt Joanne, Aunt Maureen and my dad do?" Jules asked, flipping on the TV.
"We cleaned the loft." Eileen answered, going back to her book. Jules turned off the TV and went to her CD rack in the corner of the room and put a CD in the CD player. She then went to the middle of the room and danced to the Disney Mania 4 CD. Eileen smiled, put her book down and went to join Jules when the song You'll Be In My Heart came on. Jules sang while Eileen sung back-up vocals.
John, Hannah, Anna, Roger, Mark, Maureen and Joanne were setting the table and preparing dinner.
"John, could you get Eileen and Jules and tell them to come out and help, please?" Roger asked. John nodded and went to Jules' room and knocked on the door.
"When destiny calls you
You must be strong
I may not be with you
But you've got to hold on
They'll see in time
I know
We'll show them together
'Cause you'll be in my heart
Yes, you'll be in my heart
From this day on,
Now and forever more
Oh, you'll be in my heart
No matter what they say
You'll be in my heart, always
Always." Jules sang loudly. Eileen rolled her eyes and opened the door.
"Hey John! What's up?" Eileen inquired, signaling to Jules to turn down the volume on her CD player.
"Uncle Roger says that you two need to come out and help with dinner." John told them. Jules rolled her eyes and stepped out of her room, Eileen right behind her.
"What do you need us to do, Uncle Roger?" Eileen asked, going to the kitchen.
"Do you want to help me with the vegetables?" Joanne asked, getting out various vegetables. Eileen nodded and went to where Joanne was standing. Jules had gone to help John and Mark set the table. Meanwhile Roger, Maureen, Hannah and Anna were pouring drinks, checking on the chicken and making sure everything was okay. After a while, Roger stepped onto the balcony and sat upon a beat-up rocking chair. He was thinking about the day that Jules was born. He had almost lost Mimi that day.
"Roger." Mimi called him, softly. Roger went over to her and saw that she had a bundle wrapped in a pink blanket. He kissed the top of Mimi's head and looked at the bundle in her arms.
"Can I get you anything, sweetie?" Roger asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed. Mimi shook her head and looked at the bundle. "Did we have a boy or a girl?"
"Girl. She's beautiful." Mimi answered, handing him the tiny bundle. Roger carefully took the bundle from Mimi and held it in his arms. The baby wailed a bit.
"Just rock her, she's okay." Mimi told him, smiling. Roger nodded and rocked his daughter in his arms.
"What's her name?" Roger whispered.
"Julie Hope Davis - the name we agreed upon." Mimi told him, smiling. Roger leaned forward and handed Julie back to Mimi.
"Her nickname can be Jules." Roger said, kissing Mimi on the lips. Mimi smiled and kissed him back.
"She has your eyes." Mimi told him, pulling away from Roger's kiss. Roger stroked the top of his daughter's head and kissed her forehead.
"She's gonna be beautiful - just like her mom." Roger whispered, blinking back tears.
"Rog, baby. I'm okay. It's okay." Mimi soothed, kissing Roger on the cheek.
"Dad? You okay?" Jules asked, stepping onto the porch. Roger nodded and stood up. He walked past Jules and went to see what he could do to help out. Jules sighed and headed back inside.
A/N: Don't own the lyrics to Will I, Halloween or You'll Be In My Heart. All the songs belong to their respected owners.