A Brand New Day January 27, 2016
Posted by nrhatch in Fiction, People, Spirit & Ego.comments closed
“When is the viewing?”
“No viewing. He’s already been cremated. All that’s left is ash.”
“WHAT?! How could you do that?! You knew we’d want to see him again. And that we’d want to bury him in the family plot next to mom and dad.”
“Hmm . . . to be honest, I didn’t consider what you wanted. HE wanted to be cremated. I arranged for his cremation.”
“But you should have let us view him first!”
“Why? That’s not what HE wanted. HE didn’t want people admiring the work of a mortician, talking about how peaceful HE looked.”
“But we wanted to see him again!”
“Too bad. Too little. Too late.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means HIS wishes trumped yours.”
“That’s not good enough. How could you ignore what WE wanted?!
“I’m sure you can figure it out.”
“Spell it out for me anyway. I want to understand why you chose to disregard OUR wishes.”
“OK. Here goes: He called you. And called you. And called you. And YOU did not call back. YOU didn’t write. YOU didn’t visit. YOU ignored him while he was alive so I felt no need to accommodate YOUR egocentric desires once he died. HE asked to be cremated. I honored that request. Case closed.”
“But you had no right to cremate OUR brother!”
“Of course I did. If I didn’t have the legal right to dispose of his remains, the funeral home would have refused my request.”
“That’s not what I meant! You should have called US to see what WE wanted.”
“I don’t see it that way. And, even if you could somehow convince me now, it’s too late. It’s a done deal. Deal with it.”
“He never should have married you!”
“But HE did. And now he’s dead. It’s a brand new day.”
Aah . . . that’s better!
When someone dies . . . should the wishes of the deceased trump the desires of the mourners?
Spirit Lights The Way 