July 2031: A Death in the Family Part IV.
The day of Caleb's funeral would dawn bright and cloudless, but there were white clouds on the horizon, which suggested that the day would eventually be more overcast. Nick found that Jeff was awake before him for once, as he was absent from their bed when he woke up. He was not in the least surprised when he went downstairs to find him sitting out in the garden with his eyes focused on the hole that had been dug the day before. For breakfast that morning, he decided that he would make French toast, as he suspected that if he offered cereal or normal toast his husband would say he was not hungry. Even the French toast was not consumed with the normal speed, and fewer slices were eaten than normal, as the sadness was now firmly back in control.
By the time the clock reached 10am, Jeff was dressed in his best black suit, his long hair tied back by a length of black ribbon; he was also wearing his glasses, something that he tended to avoid when he was in the company of his friends. He was ready when the first knock came on the front door just a few minutes later, but he was not expecting to see Trent and Rory on the doorstep when he opened it. "Burt and Carole send their condolences," the latter said to Nick as Trent held Jeff in a hug. "Carole was intending to come with us, but in the end, she decided it was best if she stayed back and looked after the kids… We have one definite case of chickenpox at home, and one suspected one."
Nick nodded in understanding, having been through the exact same thing with Wes a couple of years before when there was an outbreak at his school; it had spread like wildfire from one of the other pupils. Fortunately, all of his son's vaccinations had been up to date so his case was mild, but the real drama had been when Jeff had succumbed to it as well, as he did not make the best of patients and was always trying to scratch… Still, they were luckier than some, as there had been a couple of kids that had not been vaccinated that had caught it, and the consequences were still felt by them to this day.
Jeff opened the casket up again after greeting them, something that Trent had been expecting and mentally preparing himself for; for him the whole idea of an open casket was anathema even with a pet, and he was eternally grateful that such things were not a tradition in his own family. For Rory, the opposite was true, and he had seen the bodies of two great-aunts and his grandfather by the time that he entered his teens; worse, he had been expected to kiss them all…
Trent looked at Caleb for a second, then concentrated his eyes on the casket instead, marvelling at the talent that Cameron had for woodworking once again. His husband smiled and asked if he could stroke Caleb one final time, something that Jeff was only too happy to allow him to do. Trent looked on aghast as his husband did exactly that, but he realised that his husband's upbringing had left him with fewer qualms. Stroking the body of a deceased cat was mild in comparison with being made to kiss the cold skin of a dead grandparent…
Trent was dreading Jeff asking him if he too wanted to stroke him, but the moment passed when there was another knock at the door. This time it was Sebastian and Thad that stood on the threshold, but they were not alone, and were swiftly followed by Skylar and Julia, and then, to everyone's surprise, by Mrs Carmichael. She promptly pulled Jeff into a hug as around them the others exchanged greetings, and dutifully went to view the casket, Sebastian shivering just as much as Trent when he saw others reaching out to pet the deceased…
Thad eventually managed to communicate to Nick that he wanted a quiet word in private, and as Jeff spoke to everyone else, they headed into his study just off the hallway, closing the door behind them. "Mrs Carmichael is here at the insistence of Aaron; he told her that she had to attend the wedding to represent them, even if he was unable to because of his health. She didn't want to leave him, but he has Dylan and his wife checking in with him, so he will be in safe hands, but that probably won't stop her continually fretting about him," Thad explained to his host and Nick nodded in full understanding…
"Cameron has excelled himself in the making of that casket," Thad continued. "I need to remember to tell him as much when I see him next and ask if he would be able to make something similar to hold my ashes…" He paused as Nick's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open in shock, wondering now if Thad had taken him to one side to tell him something grave. Seeing that made Thad chuckle, before he went on. "Don't look so scared, I will not be needing it for a while yet, but nonetheless it would be good to have it ready and waiting for me when the time comes for my mortal remains to be interred next to those of my loving husband…"
When Cameron and Flora did arrive, the former was left blushing in the face of so much praise for his work. Nobody had the audacity to suggest that he should make it a speciality, not even when the door opened to reveal Isabelle Wright. She immediately sought out Jeff and hugged him, saying that she brought with her the condolences of her family and also of Caleb's brother, the latter part making Jeff smile…
That remark was overheard by Adam as he arrived and he was initially quite confused by it, until Ethan took him to one side and explained the whole thing; how Jeff had found two more kittens in a dumpster less than a year after he had found Caleb, how they had been so similar to him that there was no doubt they were related, and how Isabelle had fallen in love with them and had adopted them as her own…
Nick had come out of the study to find that his hallway was getting dangerously full, so he ushered some of the guests down to the kitchen, where he found Mrs Carmichael in conversation with his son. He smiled at that and made drinks for everyone as they waited for the ceremony to start. He listened to all of the conversations that were going on, but he could not help but wonder just how many of the assembled people would actually have come to the funeral if there had not been a wedding taking place the following day. He realised that the majority would have come along, and that cheered him no end, as Jeff would have been grateful for every person present…
His train of thought was interrupted when Mike suddenly appeared in his peripheral vision, carrying with him two plants. He immediately realised what they were by the scent that seemed to pervade the room, and was able to guess exactly where they were intended to go, even if his husband had said nothing about it to him…
Jeff had chosen noon as the time for the funeral to commence and just before that time, the last of his friends arrived. They had been at the synagogue for the morning service and had then walked swiftly back across town to be present for the funeral. Beats, Elliott and Flint were joined by Ty, Dante and Lachlan; the last two had taken time away from all of their pre-wedding planning as they recognised just how significant the event was. They both had a soft spot for Caleb in any case, Dante having taken his turn to feed him during a few of Nick and Jeff's absences from home, as indeed had Lachlan. As soon as they arrived, the latter sought Jeff out and passed on the condolences of his parents, something that touched the blond man deeply.
Then, as the clock in the hall struck the midday hour, Jeff and Mike went up to the hallway together, with Wes right behind them. The casket lid was carefully closed after both had stroked Caleb's fur one final time, and then they picked up the casket together, Wes taking the framed photo that had sat beside it. Outside in the garden, Nick had set up a similar table to the one in the hall, draped in black, and it was on that table that the casket was placed now with great ceremony and care by the two pallbearers, the photograph joining it. The large group that had assembled to see the funeral take place tried to find themselves a spot in the small Manhattan garden; such was the pressure on space though that Nick had sent some upstairs to stand at the opened windows of the two rooms that looked out over the garden on the entry level, and they looked down on proceedings…
Nobody was quite sure what was going to happen next, but in the end, it was no great surprise when Trent was the one to step to the front and stand beside the table. He bowed his head and began to speak. "It was a cold snowy day when Caleb came into the lives of his family; a gust of wind snatched Jeff's hat from his hand as he tried to put it on and blew it into a snow-covered alley as he walked towards the subway on his way back to his home at the time in Bushwick. His keen hearing picked up the tiniest miaow that was being made by a tiny kitten that had been cruelly thrown in a dumpster because of his gender. Jeff knew what it meant to be abandoned by those that should have loved him, and his kind heart could not ignore that plea for help; he balanced on the edge of that dumpster and rescued that kitten. He wrapped him up in his hat and placed him in his satchel. He took him home, his heart already stolen by that scrap of fur. Such was the love that he felt for Caleb from that first glance that I have it on good authority that when Nick found him in the kitchen and asked why he was there, Jeff told Nick that the kitten stayed, or Niff was over…"
Amidst the shocked glances of some at that there was a ripple of laughter, as Jeff nodded in confirmation. "Fortunately for the universe, Nick had also fallen in love with the little scrap of tortoiseshell fur at first sight too – maybe not quite as much as his Uncle Mike would do, but that is a different story…"
"Involving him getting Caleb hooked on catnip," Santana stage whispered at that point, which made them all laugh.
Trent shook his head, then went on, "Caleb would quickly get used to his new life owning three humans and frankly he soon had all of those humans' friends and family wrapped around his little paw too. In fact, a certain magazine editor was so smitten by him that when the chance came for her to adopt two of his siblings, she took it without hesitation. Jeff would find them in a dumpster as well, indeed in the same alley. This time the story ended with the person responsible being caught, charged with cruelty and being banned from keeping a pet for life, which was the justice that they deserved…"
"Of course, a loft in Bushwick was not enough for Caleb as he grew older and soon, he ended up here in the West Village, with a grand house to enjoy. It was here that he dealt with the arrival of a small human, wondered why his two humans kept insisting on placing a tree in the hallway in the middle of every winter, and faced the trauma of his two main humans leaving for a year and forcing him to move along the street to stay with his Uncle Mike…"
"Caleb had a remarkable gift for knowing when his presence was required in a situation, somehow aware that his presence on someone's lap could be a comfort when they were in pain or stressed. He could also hear the opening of the refrigerator door at one hundred paces, because above all else, Caleb did love his food. He was also a feline super model, becoming the star of so many of Jeff's drawings that he had to be given his own gallery at one of his exhibitions. Most of those sketches were drawn right here, in his favourite place in the world - the sunspot in the studio in the attic. When those drawings were first being done, Caleb would run up the stairs ahead of Jeff, as if he was scared that his human would steal his sunlight from him if he arrived first. Latterly, Jeff had to carry him upstairs for him to bask in the sun that helped to ease the pains that come to all of us, human or feline, as we reach our old age…"
"Let us be honest now and face the simple fact that Caleb Sterling-Duval was not a pet by any means, nor was he a mere artist's model; he was a part of the family, and not just the one that lives in this house. He was the only feline that was regarded as a member of the bird brotherhood too. He charmed everyone he met, being much loved by President and Mrs Kennedy too, who incidentally asked me to pass on their condolences as well. He also took a shine to the Prince and Princess of Wales when they unofficially popped in for tea a couple of summers ago…"
Nick nodded at that, then said, "They have also passed on their condolences to us for our loss."
Trent smiled at that, then carried on. "Last week, when Jeff called to tell me what had occurred, my heart broke every bit as much as his had done. I shall say it now – Caleb was Jeff's child, and he doesn't mind admitting it. He raised him from a tiny kitten on the verge of death and made him into a proud cat, surveying his brownstone domain and the humans he allowed to inhabit it with him from his spot by the radiator in the kitchen. I doubt that I was the only one to feel a sense of loss when I saw that spot empty today as I stepped into that room. He can never be replaced and will continue to live on in our hearts and minds for as long as we are here on this planet ourselves. Fittingly we will now see him laid to rest in the sunniest spot of this garden, in a beautiful casket made with such love by Cameron and Flora. In due course, this spot will be marked by a memorial stone, but I believe that for now the spot will be marked by something that is altogether more appropriate; two catnip plants…"
After those words, Trent stood down from his spot, as the crowd of mourners smiled; the scent of catnip had always been present in Nick and Jeff's home under the wax furniture polish, and at least it would still be present in the garden. They all knew, however, that it was now almost the moment when the casket would be placed in the hole in the ground that was still covered over by a small board. However, someone else was about to speak, and that person was none other than Nick…
"Trent was correct in what he said - the very second that I saw why there was a noise coming from a shoebox on the kitchen counter back in the Bushwick loft, my heart melted. Caleb was without a shadow of a doubt the most perfect cat I have ever encountered. He was so easy to house train, he did not use the furniture as his scratching posts, did not shed hair everywhere and knew to stay on the floor in the kitchen. He was also the most effective alarm on the fridge door; if there was ever anything that I needed to keep away from people's hands, I would place it in there as he would immediately jump up when the door was opened…"
There was a smile on Nick's face as he continued. "He craved love, but he also gave so much love back in return. It was so strange this week when I was cooking to not feel him rubbing against my legs as he waited for a scrap. He was aware though that I was wise to his games and knew the face that he made to so many of you when he was trying to get extra food, the expression that made you think he was starving to death. The kitchen is a little emptier in the morning now that he has left us; my lap lighter when we are sitting and watching TV or a movie. Our food waste bin will be a little heavier now that the meat trimmings will no longer be devoured by him. My family is smaller now, but we will get through our loss together, united by the love that we have for each other and that which we had for our dear Caleb. If he is watching over us now from a feline heaven then I want him to know that I will take care of his blond human as well as I can, although I will be a poor replacement for him in so many ways. I will do so because like Caleb, I love Jeff with all of my heart…"
Nick stood down then, and Mike took his place. The dancer looked to them as if his entire world had fallen apart, and his eyes grew moist as he regarded the casket he now stood beside… "Goodbye then to my precious furry friend. We had a connection with each other almost at once, and not just because I was the fun uncle that brought you toys and other lovely things. The truth is that as a child, I never had a pet of any kind, so you were the first in my life. As Nick said, you could be a con artist, miaowing pitifully as if you had been left without food for days when you had just been fed by someone else. Tina and I discovered that was certainly true during the year that we took care of you whilst your main humans were in London. That was the happiest year of my life at that point, and I loved having you around the house…"
"When the time came for you to go home, I felt lost, and Tina suggested that we should get a cat of our own at that point. It was tempting, but I decided that I could not do that to you; you would have smelt them on my hands when I came to visit and vice versa, and that would have been a recipe for disaster… I hope that you are somewhere nice now, Caleb; that you are free from the pain of old age, in a world with lots of sunspots, a warm soft bed to sleep in and of course, as much food as you could wish for…." Mike stopped then, the tears running openly down his face, and placed a hand gently on the top of the casket. He held it there for a moment, before he stepped aside and straight into the comfort of Tina's waiting arms…
All eyes now turned to Jeff, who made his way slowly up to the centre spot, his eyes downcast as he began to speak. "My heart is shattered by the loss of Caleb, but the repairs have begun, thanks to all of the love I have been given by my husband, my son and all of the friends and family that are gathered here today. I am so lucky that I have such understanding people around me, people who will give up their time on a Saturday to attend the funeral of my beloved cat… He was the sweetest of creatures and I will happily admit that he owned me, not the other way round. I have no issue with that, and how could I ever have, when being his meant that I was given so much in return? Just as Nick says the kitchen is emptier now, so is my studio; and no matter how much repair work is done to my heart, there will be a corner that will remain broken and empty as the creature that occupied it is no longer here. My dearest hope, Caleb, is that there is indeed a feline heaven like Mike described, and that when my own time here on earth is done, I might be able to come and visit you. I hope that you will not have forgotten me by then, as I will never be able to forget you…"
Jeff stood down then, and there would be no other voices added; Wes had been asked if he wanted to speak by his dads, and he had declined, saying that he was too sad and was not ready to stand and cry in front of everyone when he did not have to. He came up to stand in front of his two dads as the board that had covered the hole was removed, revealing to them all that there were two lengths of strapping across the width of the hole, ready to take the weight of the small casket. Everyone wondered for a moment who was going to take the ends of those straps, but none of the speakers did; instead Beats, Elliott, Drew and Ethan stepped forward, taking one end of a strap each. Trent was the one that then carefully lifted the casket off the table; he had been asked to do so at the last minute by Mike, as Jeff had already said he couldn't manage it, and although he had felt able to do so that morning, the dancer had realised as the hour approached that he could not perform the task either…
Everyone could see why he had decided he was unequal to the task when he burst into tears as Trent knelt down to place the casket on the taught straps above the hole, and Tina had to support him on her shoulder. The casket in place, the four holding the straps carefully let them move down with the weight of the casket into the hole, ensuring that the whole thing was done with all the dignity and respect that Caleb deserved. The casket at the bottom, the straps were pulled out from underneath it, and the final moments had come…
Jeff stepped forward then, to lift a handful of soil from the pile by the hole and throw it gently onto the lid of the casket; Nick then did the same, before returning to embrace his crying husband and son, doing his best to comfort them. Mike was too upset to throw in a handful of his own, so Tina stepped up and did it for him, before she gently guided her sobbing husband back into the house, closely followed by the three remaining members of the Sterling-Duval family…
The assembled company made their way back inside the house after them, all of them thinking that it had been a quiet and dignified service, much like the animal whose passing it had been held to mark. Much quiet comment made its way back to the ears of Cameron once they were inside too, and he blushed at the chorus of approval for his handiwork and how the beauty of the box had made the service perfect for some. As he had never been one for the limelight, he retreated into a quiet corner of the room, and Thad stood guard without being asked, setting himself up as a protective shield to stop him being overwhelmed by it all.
By chance, Thad was able to see all of the cards that had been sent by people that could not be there for one reason or another that day, and he went through them, knowing that neither of his hosts would mind. Jasper and Brad had family events of their own in Chicago that weekend that prevented them coming to both funeral and wedding, but the best friends turned brothers-in-law had each sent a card with a heartfelt message of sorrow to Jeff. There was another card from Colin and Edward, who had managed to obtain locum cover for the dental surgery and the pharmacy the next day, so would be at the wedding, but could not obtain it for the funeral. They apologised profusely, but Thad knew Jeff would understand; it was one of the perils of being in business in a small town that you never had time to rest. Beside it was a card from Luke and Duncan, who were in the middle of an important project on the family farm, and were also to be absent the next day too…
Thad then looked around the room, seeing a few people that he had not had the opportunity to catch up with. He nodded to Mitch, who had walked into the house that day full of pride, with a papoose on his front. The little boy that he and Gideon had adopted was sleeping soundly within; the mother of the child was the friend of the sister of one of Gideon's closest friends from high school. She had not been able to keep the child herself and so there had been a private arrangement made. Mitch was obviously pleased as punch to be a father, although Thad had doubts that Gideon had been quite so enthused by the reality of parenthood. Such discussions were for another day though. There would have been some that would have criticised him for bringing a baby to a funeral, but as Mitch told anyone that asked in a quiet voice, he knew that Jeff had a soft spot for babies. He was proven right when Jeff saw him and started cooing over him, his mind taken off his own loss for a moment by a little boy that rejoiced in the name his mother insisted on – Calhoun…
As Thad stood guard in one corner and the rest of the assembled mourners made short work of the generous buffet that Nick had provided, Trent made his way back out to the garden to find that Beats was still out there, sat on the bench. As the others had made their way inside, he had held back along with Drew and Ethan, as they had agreed to do the awful task and fill in the hole fully. It had not taken long, but the most important thing was placing the turf that had been carefully taken up back in place in such a way that it looked as if the hole had never been there. Trent could see that they had been successful in their task as he approached; had he not known that there was a gap in the border beside the exact spot, he would never have known it was there…
Ethan and Drew had headed back inside to get a drink, but Beats had decided to sit on the bench for a moment and contemplate the whole day so far, his mind full of what he would be doing this time tomorrow. He did not even realise Trent was there until he sat beside him; he smiled, then reached for his jacket and glasses, which he had taken off as he had worked…
"I see that you have another new pair of glasses," the speechwriter observed as the beatboxer slipped them back on.
"Yes, the frame on my last pair had developed a crack, so it was time," Beats replied with a smile.
"That and the fact that your eyesight is getting worse necessitated it," Trent continued quietly, words which made Beats start and then stare at him. He raised an eyebrow, wanting to know how on earth he came to that conclusion, but before he could think of the right words, Trent went on. "The lenses in those glasses are thicker than the last ones were; that to me suggests a need for a new prescription, and it would obviously be for glasses of a much higher power…"
Beats shook his head, then started to get up, to end the conversation, but then he realised that to do so was useless, and in any case, Trent was harmless… "Okay, you are right, my eyes have deteriorated quite a bit since my last glasses; however, that is not something that I want broadcast to everyone, as I am sure you understand. Can I also just say that had you been living in Salem at the relevant time, you Mr Nixon would have been put on trial and probably found guilty of witchcraft…"
Trent chuckled at that, then said, "I take it that Elliott knows all about it though?" A moment later he was frowning as Beats looked away from him and shook his head…
"I know that I should have told him, but I just kept putting it off, because you know how much he blames himself for my eye problems in the first place, even though it isn't his fault! He is so stressed by all of the wedding stuff just now that it has been easier to just keep quiet. However, I will tell him once tomorrow is over, I promise…"
Trent nodded, but he couldn't help but worry that the fact he had kept such a change in his health to himself was an omission that could come back to haunt his friend in time.
Back in the kitchen, Nick had noticed what Thad was doing, and how that was keeping him from getting food from the buffet. He collected a plate of savouries, ensuring that all of them were of a non-spicy variety and carried it over to the Head Warbler. He looked confused at first, then realised that Nick had spotted what he was engaged in and thanked him for being so thoughtful on what had to be a hard day for him.
"No, thank you Thad for being yourself and keeping a close watch over Cameron. To be honest, I had clean forgotten how much he hated the limelight until I saw what you were doing. Just to be on the safe side, I decided to speak to Isabelle before I came over, and she will not be trying to speak to our friend to suggest that he could make a lucrative sideline in being a pet casket maker to the rich and famous…"
"The idea that such a person could even exist makes my mind boggle to be honest," said Thad with a shake of his head. Then he ceased the moment to start another task. "Nick, I would actually like to have a private chat with you at some point in the next couple of days concerning the Dalton scholarship scheme. I know that it is still too soon to say for definite if Wes will be taking part in it, but there have been a few updates made to it, and I need to appraise you of them as a parent of an eligible child. I know that we should involve Jeff in the conversation too, but I feel that his mind will be somewhere else at the moment…"
"It is, so we can have a chat one on one," replied Nick. "The best time might be when Jeff goes outside with Mike to plant the catnip…"
Thad nodded, then went on, "I should also point out that there will be one definite person taking up the scholarship the same year that Wes would, and that is Timothy Hart. Both Joe and Sugar are of the opinion that he would benefit immensely from a Dalton education, so they have confirmed he will be there already. The advantage is that Wes would not be the sole boy there on the scheme, and they would be easily accommodated together in my dorms."
Nick nodded, the fact that Wes would not be the sole scholarship boy if he chose to go a comfort. However, he was now curious as to why the Reverend Hart and his wife were already so sure that Dalton was the best place for their son…