CAHPTER: Jam Pony Wake.
Max and Alec got to Jam Pony early that morning. They met Normal sitting staring into space. He looked up at them with a shocked expression on his face. " You didn't have to come to work."
" We know," Max started. " But we have to tell the others."
Normal nodded. He knew he wouldn't be able to do it.
Every one kept coming in slowly. Some noticed that something was wrong. OC and Sketchy knew something had to be wrong because Max and Alec were holding hands. Some inquired about Ben but they just said he wasn't coming in today.
Normal didn't distribute any packages. He him self sat silent as his employees chatted away. There were no bips left in him. Eventually everyone arrived.
Max stood up in the middle of the room where everyone could see her and hear her. She cleared her throat. " Last night," she started. Everyone one stopped what they were doing and listened, they knew something had to be wrong and they were waiting to here something. " Last night, there was an accident." Even tough she promised herself that she would not cry she started to. She started over, " There was an accident an Ben." She squeezed Alec's hand. " Ben got shot and he's dead."
Silence flooded the air. No one said anything.
Max stepped away and went in a corner. She whipped her tears away.
OC came up to Max and hugged her, " it's okay boo."
Sketchy came and gave her a quick hug, " I'm so sorry." He didn't know quite how it happened but he knew it wasn't the time to ask.
Someone came in the middle of the room, where Max stood. It was Brett. They guy whom normal fired. " I was fired a week ago and he begged Normal to hire me back." He left the middle and went to Max and Alec, " So sorry man, he was a good guy."
Max knew that Ben started to felt guilty about getting the boy fired so he begged Normal to gave him back his job. " Thanks."
Someone else followed Brett's example and came to the same spot. " Tuesday I called in sick because I had a cold. He came to my apartment and brought me orange juice. I didn't understand how someone who didn't even know me could be so nice. It such a shame we didn't get to knew each other." He walked over to Max gave her a hug.
Stacy who was crying made her way to the spot. She wiped her tears away before she started to talk. " I think it wasn't a big secrete that I had a crush on him. I guess it was because he always seemed so nice, always asking how he could help. I know he was only here for a week but he treated us like he knew us for a lifetime." She walked up to Max and gave her a hug. She gave Alec a pat on his back, " Sorry 'bout your brother."
Sketchy was now standing on the spot. " Just yesterday I got a package to deliver. It was in sector five. I think you all know I don't have a lot of friends there. I didn't even have to ask him, he just said he would do it. He didn't even know the sectors that well but he just went ahead did it for me. Also he let me beat him in pool." He saw Max smile lightly. " Yeah, I know he was letting me win. Anyway, he was a good guy."
And that's what they did that day. It was like a wake. Almost everyone had a story to tell about a time when he was nice to him or her, those who didn't, knew he a good guy at heart. They all liked him. And that's what he wanted, to make everyone happy. He knew couldn't make up for what he didn't but he saw it as an obligation to try.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Alec had hired a funeral firm to take care of the whole thing all they had to do was tell them what they wanted and they would provide it. It was costing him a lot of money but he wanted Ben to have a good funeral. Manticore would just bump the body in some whole and cover it up. He didn't want that for him. He deserved better.
It was after work and Max and Alec were in funeral home looking for a coffin. They looked at various types and they came down to two possible choices. One was white with gold patterns. The other was mahogany with silver handles and patterns.
Max opened the white one an observed the cushioning. It was white and soft, but it felt too spongy.
She opened the other one. She pushed her hand on the cushioning. It felt natural, like a bed. " This is the one, he liked to sleep. He can sleep in this." Max knew it was expensive but she could come up with the money. It was worth it.
" We'll come back with the money tomorrow," Alec told the sales clerk. He nodded. " And the place in the cemetery, and the tomb stone?"
" It's will all be ready." He didn't know how two young adults working for minimum wage could pay for all of that but they seemed to be positive that they would.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Max and Alec reached back to his apartment later that night. They didn't feel like going out or talking with anyone else. They just wanted to be in each other's company. However someone saw it necessary to disturb them. There was a knock on the door and Max went to see who it was.
" Max, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry."
Max stood there and looked at Logan in disbelieve, she couldn't begin to speak. He handed her an envelope. She looked at it then tore it open. It was a check for fifteen thousand dollars. Max looked at him confused.
" That should cover funeral expenses." Post Pulse funerals were really expensive. Only people with a good amount of money could afford to get their loved ones in a good cemetery. He knew Max didn't have the money.
Max stared at the check. He was trying to buy her forgiveness. She looked him straight in the eye and tore it up into pieces. She slammed the door in his face. When she turned around she saw Alec standing there. " Can you believe him?"
" No." He thought after he scared him he would stay away. But now he was trying to get back in Max's good books by giving her money.
" I know we could use the money but I don't want anything from him."
Alec took Max hand and led her to the corner of his bedroom. He lifted up a floorboard. It revealed a stack of money. " I just kept adding to it."
" How much is it?"
" About twenty grand. Every time a stole something and sold it I put the money here."
" I thought you spend it."
" I was saving for a rainy day. Here's our rainy day."
She was just going to steel something to pay for it. He didn't need to spend his money. Ben was her brother not his. " Alec you don't have to."
" I want to. I want to give him a good funeral. Something tells me he didn't have one before."
Max smiled at him. " Thanks you so much Alec. You're like his brother." He opened his mouth. " I know you're not his brother. But you treat him as you'll treat a brother. Thank you for that."
NOTE: I know this story seems to be going on with out a purpose. I guarantee you that it does have a purpose..
Max and Alec got to Jam Pony early that morning. They met Normal sitting staring into space. He looked up at them with a shocked expression on his face. " You didn't have to come to work."
" We know," Max started. " But we have to tell the others."
Normal nodded. He knew he wouldn't be able to do it.
Every one kept coming in slowly. Some noticed that something was wrong. OC and Sketchy knew something had to be wrong because Max and Alec were holding hands. Some inquired about Ben but they just said he wasn't coming in today.
Normal didn't distribute any packages. He him self sat silent as his employees chatted away. There were no bips left in him. Eventually everyone arrived.
Max stood up in the middle of the room where everyone could see her and hear her. She cleared her throat. " Last night," she started. Everyone one stopped what they were doing and listened, they knew something had to be wrong and they were waiting to here something. " Last night, there was an accident." Even tough she promised herself that she would not cry she started to. She started over, " There was an accident an Ben." She squeezed Alec's hand. " Ben got shot and he's dead."
Silence flooded the air. No one said anything.
Max stepped away and went in a corner. She whipped her tears away.
OC came up to Max and hugged her, " it's okay boo."
Sketchy came and gave her a quick hug, " I'm so sorry." He didn't know quite how it happened but he knew it wasn't the time to ask.
Someone came in the middle of the room, where Max stood. It was Brett. They guy whom normal fired. " I was fired a week ago and he begged Normal to hire me back." He left the middle and went to Max and Alec, " So sorry man, he was a good guy."
Max knew that Ben started to felt guilty about getting the boy fired so he begged Normal to gave him back his job. " Thanks."
Someone else followed Brett's example and came to the same spot. " Tuesday I called in sick because I had a cold. He came to my apartment and brought me orange juice. I didn't understand how someone who didn't even know me could be so nice. It such a shame we didn't get to knew each other." He walked over to Max gave her a hug.
Stacy who was crying made her way to the spot. She wiped her tears away before she started to talk. " I think it wasn't a big secrete that I had a crush on him. I guess it was because he always seemed so nice, always asking how he could help. I know he was only here for a week but he treated us like he knew us for a lifetime." She walked up to Max and gave her a hug. She gave Alec a pat on his back, " Sorry 'bout your brother."
Sketchy was now standing on the spot. " Just yesterday I got a package to deliver. It was in sector five. I think you all know I don't have a lot of friends there. I didn't even have to ask him, he just said he would do it. He didn't even know the sectors that well but he just went ahead did it for me. Also he let me beat him in pool." He saw Max smile lightly. " Yeah, I know he was letting me win. Anyway, he was a good guy."
And that's what they did that day. It was like a wake. Almost everyone had a story to tell about a time when he was nice to him or her, those who didn't, knew he a good guy at heart. They all liked him. And that's what he wanted, to make everyone happy. He knew couldn't make up for what he didn't but he saw it as an obligation to try.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Alec had hired a funeral firm to take care of the whole thing all they had to do was tell them what they wanted and they would provide it. It was costing him a lot of money but he wanted Ben to have a good funeral. Manticore would just bump the body in some whole and cover it up. He didn't want that for him. He deserved better.
It was after work and Max and Alec were in funeral home looking for a coffin. They looked at various types and they came down to two possible choices. One was white with gold patterns. The other was mahogany with silver handles and patterns.
Max opened the white one an observed the cushioning. It was white and soft, but it felt too spongy.
She opened the other one. She pushed her hand on the cushioning. It felt natural, like a bed. " This is the one, he liked to sleep. He can sleep in this." Max knew it was expensive but she could come up with the money. It was worth it.
" We'll come back with the money tomorrow," Alec told the sales clerk. He nodded. " And the place in the cemetery, and the tomb stone?"
" It's will all be ready." He didn't know how two young adults working for minimum wage could pay for all of that but they seemed to be positive that they would.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Max and Alec reached back to his apartment later that night. They didn't feel like going out or talking with anyone else. They just wanted to be in each other's company. However someone saw it necessary to disturb them. There was a knock on the door and Max went to see who it was.
" Max, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry."
Max stood there and looked at Logan in disbelieve, she couldn't begin to speak. He handed her an envelope. She looked at it then tore it open. It was a check for fifteen thousand dollars. Max looked at him confused.
" That should cover funeral expenses." Post Pulse funerals were really expensive. Only people with a good amount of money could afford to get their loved ones in a good cemetery. He knew Max didn't have the money.
Max stared at the check. He was trying to buy her forgiveness. She looked him straight in the eye and tore it up into pieces. She slammed the door in his face. When she turned around she saw Alec standing there. " Can you believe him?"
" No." He thought after he scared him he would stay away. But now he was trying to get back in Max's good books by giving her money.
" I know we could use the money but I don't want anything from him."
Alec took Max hand and led her to the corner of his bedroom. He lifted up a floorboard. It revealed a stack of money. " I just kept adding to it."
" How much is it?"
" About twenty grand. Every time a stole something and sold it I put the money here."
" I thought you spend it."
" I was saving for a rainy day. Here's our rainy day."
She was just going to steel something to pay for it. He didn't need to spend his money. Ben was her brother not his. " Alec you don't have to."
" I want to. I want to give him a good funeral. Something tells me he didn't have one before."
Max smiled at him. " Thanks you so much Alec. You're like his brother." He opened his mouth. " I know you're not his brother. But you treat him as you'll treat a brother. Thank you for that."
NOTE: I know this story seems to be going on with out a purpose. I guarantee you that it does have a purpose..