Dear Friends,
Did I mention how much I am enjoying Reservation Dogs? The last episode of season one got me right in the feelers. Those kids are such good actors. I can’t say I was surprised about how the start of season 2 went, but I’m sure it will be a crazy ride.
I also have to say that What We Do In The Shadows just gets better and better, too. Holy hell. I love how they paid homage to Gremlins and Freaked in the same episode. I guess I should not be surprised that Taika Waititi is involved with both shows. Now if he would only read the message I sent him about Nandor and Motorhead.
What a nice weekend. There were some tears, of course, too, but overall, it was really great. Celebrating Liam’s birthday with a nice breakfast for the birthday boy, Teresa, and myself was a great start to Saturday, and then I got a wonderful bookend at the J’s house, too, around a memorial service for Patrick Hodges.
It was nice to see Rick, of course, and meet Patrick’s mom and sister at the service and it was touching to hear the wonderful things people said about him. In the months that have passed since Patrick died, it’s really become apparent how much I loved reading his posts on Facebook and following his daily life. I miss him a lot.
Yesterday, Liam went with me to pick up Teresa from a sleepover and we stopped by the cemetery and paid our respects to Grandpa Jack, Gramma Val, and Grampa Tom. After that, we had a nice visit with Granny, too. She seemed to be feeling well and was very vocal about how much she enjoyed having us there.
I spent the afternoon over at Michael C’s house working on some new Living Room Collective stuff and finished the night with laundry. A perfect weekend, really, outside of the death stuff. Even then, it’s good to be reminded of how precious life is from time to time. I also ordered a new pillow that is supposed to be really good for tricky necks like mine. We shall see.
*****
This week promises to be another busy one. I certainly hope my students find a little bit of accountability and responsibility this week. I’m guessing, though, that it will be my job to teach these things to many of them this year.
We have our first round of testing this week, too. YAY!
*****
As Marcy and Jean walked the twenty or so yards to the room where Jonathan’s body was located, Marcy’s mind was racing. She was hoping to find him looking peaceful. Sometimes the dead just looked like they were sleeping soundly, but other times, it was anything but that.
Jean put her hand on Marcy’s elbow in a comforting way. She gave Marcy a light squeeze before they pushed the door open. Jonathan’s body was covered by a bright white hospital sheet. For a second, Marcy expected to see the sheet move, but she had not uttered any of the words she thought might make that happen just yet.
The two women stood side by side for a second before Jean withdrew and sat down on a chair against the north wall.
Marcy glanced back at Jean who was looking at her phone. She thought her old friend was probably trying to be as unobtrusive as possible, but she wished she would have left them alone. As luck would have it, Jean jumped up from her chair and said, “Sorry, Marcy, I’ve got to run. You going to be okay in here?”
“I’m fine, Jean, thanks. I just want to see him and tell him I love him. He was the best neighbor we ever had.”
“Okay. Lemme know if you need anything, okay? I’m so sorry.”
And then Jean was gone.
Marcy turned to Jonathan’s motionless body. She took a step towards the bed and reached out for the sheet. It felt strange in her hand, almost as if it held an electric charge.
“What am I doing, Jonathan,” she said out loud as she drew back the covering.
Jonathan did look like he was just resting. Marcy took her hand and gently stroked the side of his face. There were no visible signs of rigor mortis yet, but he was definitely cold to the touch.
“I’m so sorry, Jonathan. You didn’t deserve this,” she said.
In her heart, she hoped Jonathan could hear her. She hoped he would forgive her, at some point, for involving him in this betting mess. She hoped she had the strength to just let him go.
Paul was going to be devastated. As much as she loved Jonathan, Paul loved him more. He was a friend and mentor to Paul, and maybe most importantly, he was a safe place for Paul to escape to when home got too hectic. Everybody needs a guy like Jonathan, Marcy always told people.
She whispered into his ear, “I need a guy like you, Jonathan. Do you want to come back?”
Marcy didn’t know if she could bring him back, but something inside her seemed to want to find out.
“I bet….” She stopped herself. Her hands were shaking.
“I bet you can just wake up and everything will be fine,” she stammered as she was saying it, but she got it out.
Marcy looked at Jonathan closely. He didn’t move or stir. He was gone. She had to admit to herself that she was relieved. It was good to know that there was a limit to her power, she thought, and it dawned on her that there would be a lot of explaining to do if he were to come back to life while the two of them were alone.
Her phone vibrated. It was Paul.
Be there in two minutes. I can’t believe this…I love you.
It was now Marcy’s turn to sit down.
*****
See you tomorrow.
If you know, then you know.
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