“You can take them with you, if you like,” Darren replied, a relieved tone in his voice. “We brought it with us today, and it’s in the trunk. I don’t even know how to get the photos off of a phone. We wouldn’t mind not having his things around for a few days. Then you can do it when you have free time. I’m sure it will be hard for you, too. We are grateful. We realize it’s a strange request. While Alexa seems like a lovely young woman, we didn’t feel comfortable turning everything over to her since we only met a few hours ago. Have you met her? Did Tyler talk about her to you?”
“He never mentioned her specifically by name,” Tate replied, thinking back through their conversations. “He said he was seeing someone, but I guess I never asked her name. You said she’s here today?”
“She’s outside talking to Josh and Rachel,” Alice said, her lips pressed into a thin line. It seemed Tyler’s mother wasn’t a huge fan of her would-be daughter-in-law. “But you’ll know who she is when she comes inside for the service. She’ll be the one sobbing and making a scene.”
Alice Eckerd wasn’t a woman who liked making a scene or even being around others who might be doing it. Public opinion was far too important to call attention to herself in such a way.
True to Alice’s word, Tate was easily able to pick Alexa out of the crowd. She was sitting in the first row, along with Josh andRachel, the latter with her arm around the young woman in a gesture of comfort as she openly wept.
Cat had arrived while he had been talking to the Eckerds, and she waved at him from her seat off to the side with part of their friend group. Lindsey, Winnie, Leo, and Shelly had taken seats directly behind Alexa, Josh, and Rachel.
Alice and Darren also took seats in the front row next to Josh and Rachel. The organ music reached a crescendo, and a man in a dark suit approached the podium, a stack of index cards in his right hand. A large framed photo of a happy, smiling Tyler stood just to the right.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we’d like to begin.”
The music stopped, and the stragglers quickly found their seats. Tate sat next to Cat, reaching for her hand as he settled into his chair. She laced their fingers together as the speaker cleared his throat a few times.
“We are here to celebrate the life of Tyler Eckerd, a young man gone too soon.”
The man spoke for a few minutes about Tyler’s life and the good things he’d done. Then he introduced another man who was sitting in the back row, a friend of Tyler’s from work named Greg Cosgrove.
Greg stepped up to the podium, and a slideshow of photos began on the wall behind him. He talked about Tyler as a friend, a co-worker, and all the good times they’d had. He spoke about how helpful and caring Tyler was, and that he would miss his friend greatly. All the while, pictures of Tyler from infancy to much more recent times circulated behind him, and the girlfriend, Alexa, sobbed into her handkerchief.
Darren and Alice didn’t speak, but Tate hadn’t expected them to. It was clear that the older couple was torn apart by their only son’s tragic death.
The service concluded, and everyone started heading toward the parking lot. Leo caught up with Tate and Cat as they were leaving.
“You’re going to the Arnolds?” he asked.
“We are,” Tate replied. “You, too?”
“Can’t. With Josh out, the business has been crazy. I need to get back to work. I never got a chance to talk to Tyler’s parents. Shelly ordered a ham to be sent for today’s gathering, and of course, a sympathy card.”
As with most Midwestern after-funeral parties, there would be food. Lots and lots of it. Whenever someone passed away, there would be a dining table groaning under the weight of casseroles, shaved ham, and desserts. Maybe even a green Jell-O mold. There would definitely be brownies.
“Are Josh and Rachel?—”
“No way,” Loe said with a shake of his head. “They pumped Josh full of pain medication so he could be here, but it’s already starting to wear off. Rachel is going to take him home. It’s just as well, because he’s acting goofy while everyone else is crying.”
It had been jarring to see Josh grinning during the serious speeches about Tyler’s life, but almost everyone there knew why.
“He probably should have stayed home and healed,” Tate said.
“He wouldn’t have missed this for the world,” Leo replied. “Hell, Josh and Tyler were best friends. They were buddies.”
Tate doubted whether Josh would even remember being there today. He wasn’t trying to be catty or mean, but simply realistic.
“Did Josh know about Alexa? Tyler never mentioned her to me.”
“I dunno,” Leo said. “But she was certainly making a scene, wasn’t she? I guess she really loved him. Listen, tell everyone hello, and that we’re sorry we couldn’t make it.”
“Sure, no problem.”
Leo jogged off towards his vehicle, and Tate and Cat climbed into his car.
“I can drop you at your mom’s,” Tate offered when they were back on the road and heading to the Arnolds. “You don’t have to go, Cat.”
“I know I don’t, but I will. I just hate memorial services. I hate that Tyler was gunned down when he was so young. I just…I don’t know how to put it all into words. But seeing his parents like that. It was so sad. I don’t know what to do with my sadness and anger at this situation. Going home and ignoring it won’t work. It might for a while, but it’s not an answer. Not a real one.”
