Chapter Ten
Megan had come home shortly after Kate had and the two ordered pizza. Kate wasn’t in much of a cooking mood but to be honest, she was rarely in a cooking mood. Both women were tired and early to bed sounded like a dream come true. Kate had doubts about being able to go for a run before breakfast, but the funeral and her daughter were more important.
When Kate got up, Megan was already up. It was clear that she hadn’t slept very well. Kate walked over and put her arm around her daughter.
Kate said, “I know you are experiencing some things now that are new to you and that are a little scary. If you need to talk about it, I am always here to do that.”
Megan replied, "It's okay, I just want to be there for Addison. She is really hurting and I am trying to give her a shoulder to cry on."
Kate wasn't used to seeing empathy from her daughter. It was refreshing to see instead of the constant bickering that had become a normal part of their life. The death of her friend's mother has caused Megan to think about what could happen but Kate knew it would be short lived and the return to their "normal" would soon be back in force. Kate could see some glimmers of maturity and that was a bright spot in itself.
The funeral was scheduled for eleven a.m. so Kate had time to cook breakfast for her and Megan. She skipped her morning run, thinking time with her daughter was of greater importance.
Megan said, "I am not hungry."
Kate replied, "I know you don't have an appetite right now, but you need to eat to keep up your strength. It is even more important when you are under stress than any other time."
Megan gave up, came in and sat at their kitchen bar, and ate the sausage, eggs and toast that Kate had prepared. Megan was usually careful about what she ate like most teen girls. Kate ate as healthy as possible as well, along with her running ritual. She had fruit added to their breakfast plate and Megan ate that first.
The two women began getting ready for the funeral. Kate had a few black dresses. Megan had borrowed one for the occasion. Kate attended a lot of funerals, mostly police officers killed in the line of duty. Megan had no experience in funerals and Kate had far too much.
Megan asked, "Why do you have so many black dresses?"
Kate replied, "I go to a lot of funerals, mostly colleagues."
Megan responded, "Oh yeah, I forgot about that. I guess it must be hard to lose people you have worked with for a long time. I couldn't imagine losing one of my friends at school."
Kate replied, "It is hard to lose anyone you are close to. The people I work with however, know that being killed is a very real possibility with the job. It is always sad when it is someone with a family at home depending on them."
Conversation trailed off and the two women concentrated on getting dressed. The death of a friend's mother had at least temporarily brought them closer. They walked together with arms around each other as they made their way to Kate's car.
Megan had been invited to sit with the family, but chose instead to sit with her mother. She told Kate she didn't want her to have to sit alone. It was an unexpected move that Kate appreciated.
The mood was somber as would be expected and Kate saw a lot of tissues wiping eyes. She saw her own daughter dab a tear and knew it was seeing tears from her friend that was affecting her. Kate knew the effect seeing someone else cry could have.
The ceremony was not much different from any of the other funerals Kate had been to, except there was no police salute or flag ceremonies. It wasn't a long funeral by any means and the time to walk by the body was nearing. Kate didn't know how Megan would deal with this stage.
Kate watched as the lines of people walked in single file past the body. She felt Megan's hand grab hers and knew Megan needed some stability at the moment. Kate let her daughter go first to view the body and she stayed behind her in case she needed to be there for support. They walked past and viewed the body and Megan hugged Addison when they got outside the church.
Kate usually didn't go to the cemetery after the funeral, but she knew that Megan wanted to be there for her friend when she said goodbye to her mother. She got her car lined up and she knew that Megan had never travelled in a funeral procession before.
Megan said, "She didn't look real, she looked like a plastic doll, cold and stiff."
Kate replied, "I always hear people say how natural they look but I have never seen anyone in a casket that actually looked "natural"".
Megan could see the family gathered under the canopy next to the casket. She could tell this was going to be hard, watching the tears fall down the cheeks of the people she cared about. After the ceremony was over, Kate and Megan walked over to give their sympathy to the family. Kate thought how hard it would be to lose a spouse. She lost a spouse to divorce and that was hard enough, she couldn't imagine losing one to death.
Kate gave Tom a traditional sympathy hug and so did Megan and that was followed by hugs for Addison. They both gave hugs to cousins, aunts and uncles that gathered around the casket. They visited briefly with Tom and Addison before bidding them farewell and making their way back to their neighborhood.
Kate asked, "Would you like to go to lunch while we are out?"
Megan answered, "I guess we can, we never eat lunch together."
Kate replied, "I can take you where Sean and I go a lot, ‘The Squealing Pig’."
Megan said, "That really sounds gross."
Kate responded, "It may sound gross but trust me, it is good."
When they pulled into the parking lot Kate noticed Sean's car parked in a spot they usually parked in when they came together. She escorted Megan in and saw Sean already sitting at a table they frequently sat at together. Megan had met Sean and she knew he had teenaged kids but she had never met any of them. She knew her mom was his boss and that was kind of cool.
Kate saw Sean looking at a stack of papers and not paying attention. She said, "Could a couple and hot single chicks get a place to sit here."
Sean replied, "Sure, where are they?"
Megan giggled at the comeback but Kate was not as amused. Kate was curious about the stack of papers but didn't want to talk shop in front of her daughter. It was evident that Sean didn't want that discussion either when he put the papers back into a folder and put it beside him.
Kate asked, "Any new breakthroughs?"
Sean replied, "I am going through a printout of Linda's cell phone. Not just the phone numbers but the content of text. She seemed to text a lot more than call."
Kate replied, "A lot of people nowadays seem to prefer texting."
Megan spoke in agreement, "That is especially true of younger people. In high school we hardly ever call, it is always a text."
The waitress came to take their order and asked Kate, "Who is this young lady? Is she a rookie?"
Kate replied, "The department isn't hiring that young just yet and I am hoping for better things for her. This is my daughter Megan. I will take a BLT."
Megan looked at her mom and said, "That's not healthy, are you trying to have a heart attack?"
Kate responded, "The lettuce and tomato make up for the bacon."
The trio had their lunch, mixed with small talk. When Kate and Megan finished, Kate excused them saying, "We got to get home and change clothes. I will see you at work tomorrow, so make some progress."
Megan said, "It was nice to see you again, maybe sometime we can get together with your family."
Kate didn't want to burst Megan's bubble, but the last thing Sean wanted to do was mingle with his family. The drive home was quiet and Kate knew Megan was thinking, probably reflecting on the things of life. She wouldn't push, but she would be ready when needed.