Cold Fusion by Olivia Rigal

Author:Olivia Rigal [Rigal, Olivia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Monday at five, the crew of the Bush Fire is present in the little church. The strippers are in their Sunday best. Sally arrives on the back of Slider’s bike. She’s wearing black pants and a very modest black T-shirt. No cleavage, no makeup, and she doesn’t look a day over twenty.

Suzy, on the other hand, is a lot older than I anticipated. She’s in her forties maybe. Not that that’s old per se, but for a stripper, it is. Kim comes to the funeral with Vic. She’s dressed in white, and I remember that white is the color of mourning in China.

Two Knights are in attendance. They remain outside of the church, standing on guard duty at the door. I recognize Dmitry, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen the other.

We all remain standing in the back pews, and none of us participates in the service. I wonder if any of us are closet regular church-goers. I was an altar boy until my father died. I’ve avoided all religious buildings since his funeral. I even find excuses not to attend weddings.

I’m not sure if the rituals have changed during the past couple decades or if it’s because the priest speaks in a foreign language, but the entire ceremony is alien to me. I have no idea what to do and when.

The coffin is moved out of the church by four men from the funeral home. The coffin itself must weigh twice as much as Josette did. Mimi follows. Toussaint holds her hand and scans the scarce audience, pew by pew. Is he sad about how few people attended? The church was full for my father’s funeral. At the time, I’d thought I couldn’t care less, but in hindsight, I wonder if that’s true. How would I have felt if only a dozen people had cared enough about him to show up and stand by his family?

Toussaint’s face lights up when he sees me, and when he passes my pew, he grabs my hand. I enter the short procession with the little boy wedged between Mimi and me. From the corner of my eye, I see Sally catch Slider’s hand, and they fall in behind us. We follow the pallbearers into a tiny cemetery. As we go, I see that Kim, Vic, Suzy, and even Paul, the club’s Haitian maintenance guy, have stepped in behind us. That’s when I feel for Slider. I’ve only been on the undercover job for a few weeks, and I already like this weird bunch. They’re a family. Slider’s been with the Knights for more a long time. How does he keep his loyalties straight?

The rest of the ceremony is short, and when it’s all done, I walk Mimi back to her car. I hug Toussaint, and he holds me very tightly.

“I promise you’re gonna be all right, buddy,” I tell him. I’m not sure he believes me, but I know I’m right. The pain doesn’t ever go away, but its weight lightens with age.

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