A Not-So-Distant Memory

Day 6

After a few days had passed and Jim and Jerry had gotten along better (no corrections, no arguments), Jim's grandkids finally came for a visit. It had been a few days, and Jim had seen Ellie less and less. He clung desperately to the moments that she was there because it seemed like she was always missing. This was one of those times.

"Grandpa!" came Frankie's small voice. She ran up to him and buried her face in his jacket. Jim reached down and embraced her.

"OOH! Hey, Kid! You're squeezing the life out of me!" He patted her head until she let go. When she did, he saw that she was wearing a pretty black dress with her hair tied back. Her face was red and puffy. She sniffled.

"I love you, Grandpa." She sniffled again and rubbed her hand against her nose.

"Oh, I love you too, Sweetie. What are you doing all dolled up? And are you catching a cold? Your nose looks runny." He brushed her hair back and laid a hand on her forehead.

Before he could continue, though, Jerry walked in with his wife and Sammy. "Hey, Dad. Are you ready?" Jerry asked. He was dressed nicely, too, and that pained expression was back.

"Ready? Ready for what?" He couldn't remember anything going on today. Ellie would have reminded him if it was anything important. But then again, she wasn't around as much anymore, wherever she went.

It apparently didn't matter if he remembered or not, though, because Jerry started talking again. "We're just going somewhere nice. It's a surprise. You have to dress your best, though."

"Will Ellie be there?" he asked. He had yet to see her today, and he was hoping she would show up. Maybe he could ask her about the past week again, not that she liked to answer that.

His son nodded. "Yeah, Dad. She'll be there." So Jim gave a smile, rubbed Frankie's head one more time, and walked away to get dressed in his fine suit.

When the family arrived at their destination, they all stepped out of the car and walked into a church. "A church? But it's a Saturday. Why did we get all dressed up for this anyway?" Jerry just shook his head at his father and beckoned everyone forward. They crowded into a small room.

The first thing that jumped out was the flowers. There were tons of them. There weren't any people, but there were dozens of bouquets. Most were purple and white, Ellie's favorite colors. The next thing that popped out was the soft music playing, slow and somber. It mingled with the old smells of the church to paint a distant memory in Jim's head. He couldn't quite place it. The third was probably the most important thing of all, though. It was the grand casket, reflecting the yellow ceiling lights. The wood was beautiful, and the lining was a pretty puff of pure white clouds. But none of it compared to her.

Inside the casket lay Ellie, hands rested over her chest in a gentle hold on her small bouquet. She looked breathtaking, even if she wasn't quite right. She was too stiff to be sleeping, too pale to be her normal self. And as realization set in, Jim let go, and he cried.