Chapter 26

Cassie requested that the family assemble at the church on Monday morning. Her explanation was that the funeral procession would be pandemonium on its own and she didn’t want more vehicles adding to it.

I later learned that she also wanted a few more moments alone with R.J. before they closed the casket.

Recalling the sheer volume of people at the visitation, and knowing the church was not that large, Lisa and I decided to arrive early. I stopped at Starbucks to get coffee for both of us.

I placed my order and paused to run my hand over my face, trying to stave off the overwhelming fatigue. The barista noticed and chuckled. “Gotta get you your coffee, man,” he said. “You look exhausted.”

I nodded. “R.J. Garrett is my girlfriend’s brother. It’s been a long few days.”

At this, a woman behind the counter jumped in front of the barista as I handed him my credit card. She gently pushed the card away. “Then your money is no good here today,” she informed me quietly. As well, where I had ordered grande drinks for both of us, the drinks she handed to me were both venti-sized.

We arrived at the church, made our way inside, marked our seats with a hymnal and the program, and then stepped outside to drink our coffee and wait for the procession to arrive.

That evening I saw video on the local television station showing a lengthy procession, headed by the rig that R.J. took me behind to threaten me, its lights flashing. It was followed by the hearse, along with several more fire trucks and police cars representing the surrounding area. The video showed traffic immediately pulling over to let it pass, people getting out of their cars and placing their hands over their hearts, or soldiers and first responders saluting. People waved the American flag from overpasses as the assembly went by.

A reporter observing from street level commented on the fact that it was the middle of the day in a city of 300,000 people, and the only sound was from the passing vehicles.

Standing in the foyer, Lisa and I watched as the lead fire truck turned the corner onto the street approaching the church. An honor guard had taken up position there and escorted the truck the rest of the way. Wall-to-wall firefighters lined each side of the street, saluting the hearse as it passed until it pulled up in front of the church.

The side doors opened, and Cassie, Eric, and Ashlyn emerged. Then the six pallbearers – all from R.J.’s house – marched in formation and line up behind the limousine.

The back door opened, and as they and the driver began bringing the casket out, one of the most mournful and gut-wrenching sounds known to man – “Amazing Grace” being played on the bagpipes – filled the air.

Mike Adams stood at the head of the procession, holding R.J.’s helmet. They led the casket past another assembly of first responders, who all saluted the casket as it passed, and into the church.

Lisa and I hastened back to our seats to get out of the way, as we watched Mike lead the procession to the front of the church, where he laid the helmet on top of the casket before saluting it and stepped to the side.

I quickly discovered that as an orator, Reverend Harris was no Michael Jameson. In fact, she grated on my nerves. As she spoke, she needlessly emphasized certain words and paused for dramatic effect at every other sentence. She sounded more like she was doing a bad audition for a high-school presentation of “Romeo and Juliet” than leading a somber ceremony honoring a man who demonstrated the “no greater love” that Christ spoke of.

Somehow, Cassie delivered a brief eulogy. Her voice was soft, but strong, clear, and unwavering, as she spoke of R.J. as a loving husband and a devoted father, as well as a man who loved his brother firefighters and enjoyed just being “one of the guys” with them. I felt like R.J. would be proud of her. I know I was.

After Communion, the memorial service had two final components. First, Cassie was asked to come forward. Mike and the fire chief stood in front of the casket. The chief solemnly lifted R.J.’s helmet from the casket, slowly turned, and handed it to Mike. Mike then presented it to Cassie, and both men saluted her.

Then Mike addressed the crowd.