The Study of Life
By: M14Mouse
Summary: G didn't even know this agent. He doesn't quite understand why he was requested to speak at his funeral either…but hey, who was he to deny a dead man's wish?
Part of the Study of Verse
Disclaimer: Don't own them.
G didn't quite understand why he was here.
He didn't know this man at all.
Okay, he knew the name and all. But they traveled in different circles…hell, they worked in different circles.
So, it was a complete surprise when the boss called him to tell that he would be speaking at this guy funeral.
"Hetty…are you sure? I mean…I didn't know him at all."
She gave him this look like it was supposed to explain everything. In reality, it explained nothing.
"He asked for you, Agent. It would be unwise to refuse a dead man's request," Hetty said
"I am not going to deny anyone's wish. I am just…confused. Should it be someone that knew him better?"
"Probably…but he asked for you. Don't dishonor him by saying no."
So, that why he was here…in a suit surrounded by fellow agents, friends, and family of a man that he never met.
It gave him the distant impression of being lost in a crowd but you couldn't figure in. It was a very disconnection feel. Sometimes, someone would laugh to lighten it but then the feeling would be back again.
It was depressing. That is why he didn't like funerals.
"Stop moving,G." Sam said as he fought him to get his tie on.
"Sam, stop it. I am going to ruin it any way. I hate ties."
"Not surprise."
He sighed softly.
"I shouldn't be here."
"True but you are," Sam said
"I shouldn't be speaking either."
"True."
"I don't know him."
Sam finally fixed his tie and stepped away from him.
"Perhaps, that is why you were asked to speak."
"Sam, I don't have time for you to be cryptic."
"A wise man once said that if you are going to judge a man, don't judge him by his character, judge him by his friends. These are his family and friends. Listen to them. And you find out about the man that you are going to talk about."
"You found that in a fortune cookie, did you?"
Sam laughed and patted his shoulder.
"No, Hetty. Now Go…."
Sam pushed him toward the crowd.
Sneaky bastard.
He sighed and started to do what he does best.
Mingle.
By the time that everyone sat down, he had a general idea what he was going to say.
Who was he kidding?
He had no clue what he was going to say. He felt someone touch his shoulder. He nearly jumped out his seat.
"Hey, man…they are calling you," Samsaid as he touched his shoulder.
"Oh…thanks," he said as he stood up and walked to the front. Finally, he made it to the podium. He turned around and faced everyone. His eyes spanned over the entire audience. Thousands of eyes were staring at him. Waiting….He took a deep breathe.
"I didn't know him. Our paths didn't cross at all. Sure, I knew his name. I am sure that he knew mine. But his final request was to asked me to speak…so, here I am."
He paused for a moment.
"I am sure that I could talk about how good he was at his job. How good he was with people. How his friends and family loved him. They probably do. But coming from me? It would be fake and a lie. I have been to enough funerals to know that true feelings always come out. You hear about how terrible a person was. Every dirt little secrets comes out of the closet.
….I'm happy to say that it didn't happen here. I heard stories about how him playing pretty princess with his daughter for hours or watched Thomas the Train with his son on repeat. I wanted the pictures for evidence, of course."
There were a few laughs and chuckles from the audience.
"…If you ask our boss, he would tell stories about how fine of a person he was. But he would also say that he had this way of diffusing a tough situation with a comment or his actions. He was just that type of guy. He was a veteran and a man who served his country proudly."
"…If you ask Ms. Potts, I am sure that she will tell you the story on how they met. She will probably tell you that he asked for an appointment with her. She will tell it that she thought that he was hitting on her. There was stumbling of words…and possible back tracking. Didn't know years later that they would be married and have 2 beautiful children."
"…If you ask his partner, they will tell you stories about a friend. A friend that would watch the back…make sure that they didn't go to deep into their own head space. It was a friend that was simply there."
G saw his partner just stared blankly ahead but he knew better.
"…If you ask his brother and his goat…and yes, ladies and gentlemen, the goat outside belongs to his brother. But you asked him what happened the first that he met the goat, he would snort and say that he shouldn't have wore a suit and the goat like suits."
That got a laugh out of the crowd.
He smiled slightly. It was time to wrap it up.
"A wise man once said that don't judge a man by his actions or character, judge him by the friends. I am looking around this room fill with family and friends. Damn it, I think that he proved to be a pretty good guy. It made me sad that I didn't get to know him," He said as he stepped away from the podium. He walked down the aisle to return to his seat.
His bro patted his shoulder as he took a seat.
"Good job," Sam said.
"Thanks."
G watched as another person went up to speak. He learned over and whispered to Sam
"After saying this, I kind of wished that I did know him."
End.