Bill Rosamond kept away from the funeral parlor until he saw the last car drive out of the parking lot.Then he slipped in.
Lisa was still there,talking to Mr.Jacoby,the funeral director.
When she saw who it was all hell broke loose.
"Where the hell were you,Bill? Jim was your friend,you godamn fucker!"
Mr.Jacoby,who knew them both,in fact he knew everyone in the small town of Hyannis, quietly slipped away somewhere.Lisa's temper was legendary and he had no wish to be caught up in the tempest.
"Lisa,calm down.I couldn't come with all his family here.How would it look,for a Negroe coming to a white man's funeral?"
He looked around to make sure Mr.Jacoby wasn't in sight before he reached for the pint of whiskey in his coat.
"Here.Take a pull.You need it."
Lisa took the bottle and greedily took a gulp.
"Uhhhhh! That shit's horrible! But my tongues been reaching my ass all day for a nip.You should have seen them,Bill.They were all talking Portuguese! His bitch sister showed up like she was going to a cocktail party."
Lillian had been wearing a hat with ostrich feathers for some reason and it simply took the widow off guard.
"I laughed right in her face!"
Bill looked at the body of his friend lying in the casket.
"Everyone is blaming me,"he said quietly."I know how they talk around here."
Bill and Jim had still been slightly drunk from the night before and Bill had brought along a bottle to lighten up the monotony of working for a furniture moving company.In half an hour they were piss eyed drunk all over again.Jim had fallen so hard that you could hear the "WHACK" of flesh hitting the pavement.A week later here they were.
"He didn't want to go to the doctor,"Lisa said."I lived through Omaha, I can deal with a headache,the son of a bitch told me.Maybe he wouldn't be dead now if he had listened to me."
She turned away so that Bill wouldn't see her about to bawl.
Bill Rosamond put his hand on the dead man's casket,then thought better of it and placed his hand on Jim's hand.Funny the way they always cross your arms.Nobody slept like that.
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