"I have never been to a parade before." Tessie was helping the Serpents make their float. She was cutting out scales with her mom.
"Your first parade and you'll be on the float." Sweet Pea ruffles her hair.
A red 1961 Chevrolet Impala convertible pulled up. "What the hell does the harpy want?" Dracula was building the base with Greg.
Cheryl got out of the car and slammed the door. "I know we aren't on good terms but to hurt me like this is disgusting." She marched up to Abby.
"What the hell are you talking about?" She didn't flinch when she got in her face.
"Do you know what the fourth of July is? It's a day of being in memoriam for Jason. Or have you forgotten about him?" She put her hands on her hips.
"Of course, I remember him. Why does it have to be sad? Why can't he be celebrated? You could make a float for the Mapel company and pay tribute to him." She didn't miss having to calm down a hysterical Cheryl.
"I'm not letting this happen." She screams, refusing to allow anyone to change her opinion.
"You know, what's disgusting, Cheryl? The fact that you can't let anyone be happy when you're suffering. You have so much hate and self-pity in you that I'm either angry at you or feeling sorry for you." She didn't know if they would ever have what they had before.
"Keep your sorry." She got back into her car and peeled out.
"Why is Auntie Cheryl so mean?" Tessie asked.
"Because hurt people hurt people." She grabbed a pair of scissors. "Let's not let her bring the spirit down."
"Yeah, we got too much spirit to be brought down by someone so small." Sweet Pea was making the Serpent's crown.
"She looks normal size to me." Tessie didn't understand. The teens laughed. "Why is that funny?" She looks around at them.
"Kids say the darndest things." Kraken chuckles.
Abby answered her ringing phone to hear her mom trying to say something but she was sobbing too hard. "Mom, what's wrong?" Fear built in her chest.
"FP called and said that your dad passed away in an accident." She said through heavy breathing.
"What?" She dropped the scissors.
"I need you to come home." She needs to see her kids in front of her. "FP is coming over."
"I'll come home." She hung up. "I have to go home. Mom said that my dad died." She didn't want it to be true.
"What?" Sweet's jaw dropped.
"I don't know. There was an accident. FP coming to explain it." She was using all her strength to keep it in.
"Okay, guys, can you watch Tessie while I take Abby home?" He looks around.
"Of course, we will." Greg nods.
Sweet Pea guides her to his bike. "Babe, are you going to be able to hold on?" He didn't want her to lose her grip in her shock state.
"Yeah," She didn't know if she was going to be able to let go when they got home.
Abby is sitting on the couch with her brother and mother. Sheriff FP was telling them the news. "I talked to the Sheriff up in Cherry Creek and it sounds like what happened was that Fred was driving home when he pulled over to help someone's car that was stalled on the side of the road and another vehicle came upon him too fast." He had to pause to collect himself. "He was struck by it."
"No. No. No." Mary sobs. Abby pulled her mom into a hug to let her sob on her shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Mary. I'm sorry, Archie. I'm sorry, Abby." It pained him to watch Mary cry.
"Did the other car stop?" Archie wonders. He shook his head. "So, it was a hit and run… We have to find out who did it and we have to catch them." He needs justice for his dad.
"No, Red, you don't think about that right now. I'll work with the Sheriff's office up in Cherry Creek and make sure all this is taken care of, you understand?" He held back his tears to tell the teen. Archie nods his head.
"What about the person that he was helping? Are they okay?" Abby knew the person must be feeling a lot of guilt.
"She's fine, at least physically. She has been offered therapy and hopefully, she takes it." FP knew Fred would be proud of her thinking about someone else.
"What are we supposed to do now?" Archie asks.
"We put him to rest. We celebrate him." Abby rubs her mom's back. FP looks at her in concern. While everyone said Archie reminds them of Fred, FP saw more of him in Abby. She pushes her feelings down and is strong for others. She keeps herself busy with work. She would stubbornly do what she believed was right even if it meant putting herself on the line. He was worried she would burn herself out like she did when Mary left.
"Let me know if you guys need anything." He would help his best friend's family in any way he could.
The funeral director came over to get the plans going. Sweet Pea and Veronica join to be there for their significant other. "Have you decided on a burial or cremation?" Ms. Fisher asks after taking out her notepad.
"Burial. There is a plot next to his father, Artie Andrews… Arthur Andrews." Mary told her.
"Since we're transporting the body from upstate there will be an additional cost of 9,000 dollars." She tried to be as gentle as possible. She knew money was a touchy subject.
Sweet Pea scoffed. Even in death, people would look to suck you dry. "Whatever it takes, however much it costs." Veronica gave him a look to remind him to be sensitive.
"How soon can we get him here?" Abby asked.
"The driver that makes these trips for us isn't available until July 5th then we'll have the funeral on the 6th if that's alright?" She looks around the table.
"It's fine. There is still a lot to do. We have to send out invitations, make a program, eulogy, the list goes on and on." Abby wrote on a notepad of her own.
Abby was looking through pictures, trying to decide which ones to use for the program and the collage. Tessie was with her. "So, God needed Grandpa, so he had to go to heaven."
"Yeah," She nods.
"That's selfish. I need him too." From living with the nuns she thought God was cruel, this was confirmation of it for her.
"Listen, Grandpa is still with us. He's an angel that watches over us. He's a part of you, as long as you remember everything he taught you. We are his legacy. We are how he lives forever." She remembers the talk her father gave her when his mother died.
"Hey babe, people came over to hang out with you and Archie." Sweet Pea leaned against the door. Mary was behind him for backup.
"I don't have time for that. There is a lot to do." She shook her head.
"I can take over." Mary grabs the back of her chair to pull it out.
"I want to continue looking at pictures." Tessie enjoyed seeing her mom's childhood.
"We can do that. I can tell you the stories behind all of them." Marry offers.
"Come on." Sweet Pea drags her out. The teens of Riverdale sat in a big circle in their backyard.
"Hey, do you remember that tree house your dad helped us build?" Reggie brought up his memory of the man.
"You mean the one he built for us." Jughead smiles.
"I remember you fell out of it, Reg. You're trying to play Tarzan. You were calling Abby, Jane." Archie laughed. Abby smiles at the memory of her giggles turning into screams.
"Your dad drove me to the hospital," Reggie remembers Fred kept talking to him to try to take his mind off the pain.
"I remember we had a picnic when we were in grade school in Pickens park and there was a father-daughter potato sack race. My dad… I don't know where he was but Mr. Andrews said that he would do it with me. So he was my dad for the day." She smiles.
Tomoko looks over at Abby. "Remember the time we were having a tea party? We wanted Trev to join but he refused."
"Because you guys wanted me to put on a pink frilly dress and bonnet and put makeup on me" He reminds his girlfriend.
"He came in wearing one of Mrs. Andrews's sun hats and aprons. He let us put makeup on him. Trev had to do the same. We had so much fun that day." Tomoko laughs as she remembers him putting on a British accent.
"When things started getting bad with my dad's drinking, my mom would call up Fred for help. He would drive up to the bar and he would pick up my dad and he'd lay him on the couch. He would always stay a little while, just to talk to me, to see how I was doing in school and if I had eaten dinner. He just wanted to know if I was hungry. I always was." He got a laugh from everyone. Archie smiled at getting a new story about his dad.
"Your dad was such a gentleman, Archie." Veronica grabs his hand.
"He was the best. He built and donated all the sets for the musicals." Kevin thought he was amazing for that.
"You guys don't have to but do you have any memories you want to share?" Veronica looks between Archie and Abby.
"I remember going to Sears with him just so I could ride the tractors. He taught me everything. Taught me how to play football, baseball, and pretty much every other sport. We fixed up the jalopy together. He bought me my first guitar. He even soundproofed the garage just so…." He got up.
"Archie…" Veronica called out.
"I'm fine. I'm wiped out so can we call it a day?" He knew they had good intentions but it was too much too soon.
"Yeah, it's fine." She nods. He went into the house.
"Babe, do you want to share?" He looks at her.
"I…. Did you finish making the float?" She turns to him.
"Abby doesn't worry about that." Greg looks at her in surprise.
"The parade is still going on, right? Tessie has been looking forward to it. Dad wouldn't want an event being canceled for him." She didn't want the town to lose the hope that they were gaining.
"Then we'll go finish Pop's float." Betty got up along with Veronica, Reggie, and Jughead. After saying their goodbyes, they left.
"Abby, are you letting yourself feel?" Nancy wonders.
"I'm fine…. I'm dealing. Some things need to be done, so I'll feel later." She would fall apart after the funeral.
"Scheduling your breakdown, that's healthy." Kraken scoffed.
"Don't be rude to her process." Sweet flings his bottle cap at him.
"I'm going to make a collage." She went into the house.
Cheryl and Toni were in the kitchen having coffee with the Andrew women. "Mrs. Andrews, Abby, we heard the news and we're so sorry about Mr. Andrews." Abby was trying to listen to them but her mind was on Archie who was bringing their dad's body back to Riverdale.
"Thank you." Mary nods.
"Mrs. Andrews, when my brother Jason died I felt supremely alone. My world was only darkness and despair. I don't want you, or Archie…. or Abby despite the rift that is going on between us, to ever feel anything even remotely like that." She looks at the girl that was there for her when Jason died. "This gets me thinking that time is too short for pettiness. The people in our lives should be celebrated, not mourned."
"Sounds like wise words." Abby sips her coffee.
"So with your blessing, I would like to do something for your family when Archie returns." She told them her plan to close down the streets and make Fred the whole parade.
"No." She was going to go on when her mom scolds her.
"Abigail. That is a kind gesture." She looks at her sternly.
"Dad can lead the parade but not be the whole thing. His dream was to be the mayor so him leading the town seems poetic." She didn't want everyone's hard work on their float to go to waste.
"That would be beautiful." Toni smiles.
Abby was waiting in front of the house with Tom Keller, Sierra McCoy, Kevin, Josies, and her mom. She watches with a mixture of emotions as the hearse pulls into their driveway. He got out to pull his family into a hug. "I couldn't leave him there." He whispers.
"I know." She cried.
"I brought dad home." He squeezes them.
"I can't thank you enough for that." Abby hugs him tightly.
"I'm so proud of you guys. I know he would be too." Mary held onto them.
"Mommy!" Abby pulled away to see the Serpent float passing by.
"Babe!" She laughed and waved at her boyfriend and daughter.
"Uncle Archie, Grandma." She waves.
"You look beautiful up there!" Archie yelled, making her cheer loudly.
"Pops!" Josie waves when the next float comes by. They waved to all their friends as they went by in their floats.
Josie sang amazing grace while Fred was being carried to his plot. The priest spoke when the song was done. "Now, Fred's son, Archie would like to say a few words."
"Earlier I was thinking on the drive over here how much of Riverdale my dad built or how much he fixed up: houses, office buildings, a bit of everything. He helped build this town. One day if I'm lucky enough to have a son or a daughter, I'll be able to point to a building and say your grandpa made that with his hands." He hoped he would be able to do that. "It's the fourth of July. I remember this one fourth, it was raining. The firework show was canceled. I was so bummed I remembered sitting in the backyard just bawling. So my dad came home with all these fireworks. I mean enough to burn our house down. We lit them in the backyard. It was the best night. My dad was there for every high and every low. He's the greatest man I've ever known. It hurt me that I never got to say goodbye. That I won't get to see him again or talk to him. But his spirit and his memory live on in this town and in everyone he met. Fred Andrew will always be a part of Riverdale. I love you so much, dad." He touches the casket. "Abby, come up." He guides her. He squeezes her hands to give her the courage.
"I was a painfully shy kid. On my first day of Kindergarten, he walked me in and told Trev who was wearing a WWE shirt that I watch wrestling. That is how I made my first friend." She smiled at Trevor. "I used to be so shy that I would whisper songs even in the car with my family. My dad would hear me and sing loudly and off-pitch so that I would feel comfortable enough to sing. So, I want to sing a song for him." She sang Jealous of the Angels by Donna Taggart.
Archie hugs her when she finishes singing. "That was beautiful, Abs. I think you made everyone cry." She looks around to see that he was right.
"I always knew I had a voice to bring people to tears." She teased. The siblings smiled at each other before taking their seats.
Abby went to sleep with joy in her heart. The fireworks put everyone in a good mood. It reminds the Andrews of their best fourth of July. To be able to recreate it with their friends and remaining family was beautiful. She wakes up in the middle of the night. She couldn't go back to sleep. She tosses and turns, not able to feel comfortable. She went downstairs to get a drink of water. She saw the flower reefs that they took home with them. She grabs the truck key and a reef. She texted Sweet Pea where she was going before she took off. She parked on the side of the road where the accident happened. She grabbed the reef and set it up. "This is where you were. This was your last sight. We were probably your last thought." She looks at the long grass that was taller than her along the road. "You dying by saving someone is perfectly you but this is depressing. Why couldn't you have called triple A?" She wipes the tears that were pouring out. She whines when she is blinded by large headlights.
Her heart beat rapidly when she heard the 18-wheeler's door open. She moves out of being directly in the light so that she could open her eyes. She saw a scruff-looking guy walking towards her. "Are you alright?" He asked while he got closer. He looked at her teary face, it got his blood pumping.
"I'm fine." She backed up.
"Really, then why are you on the side of the road in the middle of the night? You don't have to be scared. Did your truck break down?" He stopped when he realized she was moving away.
"A drunk driver hit and killed my dad here. I just… I couldn't sleep." She pointed to the flowers.
"Ah… you shouldn't be here this time of night. It's dangerous. I mean… someone died here." His smile made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.
"I'll…." She was going to make a run for it when her phone rang. She picked up while keeping her eyes on him. "Hi." She gave a shaking voice.
"What the hell? You don't take off in the middle of the night." His scream could be heard by the trucker.
"I'm sorry, baby. I couldn't sleep. I saw the flowers and I don't know." She stumbles over her words.
His heart softened, thinking her shaking voice was from crying and not fear. "If you want to go somewhere in the middle of the night then you wake my ass up."
"I will. I'm coming home to you now. I love you." She hoped it wasn't the last time she said that.
"I love you too. I'll see you when you get home." He wouldn't be able to go to sleep until she did.
She hung up the phone. "Do you love him? Do you plan to be with him forever?" The man was now by her driver's door.
"Yeah, more than anything." She shivers. She was in flannel bottoms and her dad's jacket that was in the truck over a tank top.
"Then you should get back to him." He opened the door. She slowly approached him and slid into the driver's seat. "Remain loyal to him and you should be fine." He shut the door. She sped off as soon as she turned the ignition.