Title: A Lifetime of Style

Disclaimer: I do not "own" South Park or any of its characters. The lucky bastards Trey Parker and Matt Stone do, however. I only own this plot idea.

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Chapter 19: Closure

Randy dies from cirrhosis-related complications three months after Stan's 37th birthday. On the outside, Stan seems to take the news more calmly than expected, although on the inside, he's conflicted and torn apart.

As they drive past the South Park welcome sign, Stan and Kyle notice how much South Park has changed. There are quite a few new office buildings, stores, shops, and restaurants, along with many new apartments and houses.

"Wow, I don't think this is the white bread, redneck, quiet mountain town we once knew," Stan says with a sarcastic laugh.

"I guess urbanization is even starting to affect small towns," Kyle observes.

"Daddy, what does 'urbanization' mean?" Robert asks in his curious ten-year-old voice.

"It means that more people move to cities and suburbs, or small towns have a huge growth in population and become more urban in nature," Ryan cuts in.

"Show-off," Robert hisses.

"I'm not a show-off!" Ryan cries, gently socking Robert in the upper arm.

"Hey, hey, hey, you promised you would behave on this trip! Now apologize to each other," Kyle orders. The boys know once either father, especially Kyle, gives an order, they'd better obey it. They promptly exchange sorry's and go back to being quiet.

They arrive at the Marsh residence five minutes later. Kyle embraces Sharon and Shelly, extending his condolences. As Stan and Kyle set the suitcases in Stan's old room, it dawns on Stan how empty the Marsh residence is becoming, especially considering Randy is now with Marvin, Jimbo, Ned, and Sparky.

A couple hours later, Stan and Kyle take a stroll around South Park with the boys to see the changes.

As they walk past a light green house and see someone open the door, they immediately turn their heads, only to see a little girl get the newspaper. A young family purchased it after Liane had a near-death stroke last year, and Cartman moved her to an extended care facility just two miles from his penthouse in New York City.

The elementary school looks the same, apart from some remodeling and modernization. Some of the old small businesses remain. A revitalized SoDoSoPa sits in Kenny's old neighborhood. Kenny's house was demolished after Stuart was sentenced to life in prison for murdering his wife.

Stan, Kyle, and their sons walk past a flamboyant purple house, only to be greeted by Stephen Stotch and his partner Albert. They purchased it after Big Gay Al and Mr. Slave moved to Key West to fully live the gay life. Stephen came to terms with his homosexuality and divorced Linda. Linda ran away and never looked back.

Stan and Kyle both agree that they've seen their fair share of changes and return home with a pizza so Sharon doesn't have to cook.

After the funeral Mass and burial, Sharon tells Stan, Kyle, and Shelly that she'll be fine if they leave, but they insist on staying for a few more days to help out. The day after the funeral, Sharon hands Stan and Kyle a letter and tells them that Randy didn't want them to read it until after the funeral. Stan and Kyle sit on the bed and read Randy's letter, hmphing in a couple parts, nodding in others, and shedding a couple tears throughout the rest. It's a long letter. As soon as they finish reading it, Stan begins to shed tears about his father's death for the first time. He cries about how complicated their relationship was during his childhood and how grateful he was that the last few years were the best for their father/son relationship. The twins come in and see Stan crying, and they climb on the bed to hug him along with Kyle, telling him "Don't cry, Dad," shedding a couple tears of their own.

Once everything calms down, Stan gains some perspective. He tells Kyle and his sons that he's glad he made this trip because he finally gained a sense of closure. He knows his Dad loved him, paid him final respects, and even got to see some of the changes, both good and bad, that occurred in South Park.

One week after the funeral, the Marsh-Broflovski family bids their goodbyes to Sharon, promising to keep in contact. Stan feels he's ready to face the world again.

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