Fast Forward

There were four to five hundred people at the funeral. I saw a lot of people I hadn't seen for a very long time.

I saw one face that looked familiar... the eyes... but couldn't place him... come to find out he was one of my best friends... he even lived with me and my family for a few months. We hadn't seen each other for twenty-five years. The odd thing was that with each meeting, in no time, they were just that person from so long ago. The faces vanished... almost timeless... they were just who they were.

The cool girl group which were a couple years ahead of me wanted to talk to *me*. Wow! They were so "up there". Now I was talking to them like I was a highschool senior; me only a freshman.

Shot some hoop in the old gym. Still poppin' three pointers. I had game today. Nobody else wanted to shoot! I had to play with the seniors' kids!

Hitched a ride with two of the brothers of Kiana for the burial service. Did a drawing of Karlton driving on the way to somewhere way out by Crockett, TX. A burst of rain came out of nowhere. Trey bumped his head getting under the little shelter. Then he bumped it again on the way out. Something made me sad for him when that happened. Things like that weren't supposed to happen to Trey.

It really pained me to see Ricky, Kiana's husband. I just don't know how one can adjust with the loss and the day-to-day things. At this point, "sad" doesn't seem to describe it, more like "tear" (as in rip).

The words from the preachers seemed abrasive, wantonly instructive and largely disconnected. The eulogy from the friend was sweet.

After the burial service, hitched another ride with Kris, another brother of Kiana. Kris and I are best (in a pool) friends and have kept up with each other over the years --- made a few trips to Big Bend and New Mexico. We graduated together in a class of five, us being the two guys.

Anyways, hitched up with him and his wife to HOU. They were catching flights back to their home in Miami. Kim came and picked me up at Kung Food (Chinese restaurant).

Oddly enough, I'm back at home.