Day of Rejoicing

by Betsy Spackman Hopkins

It was a bright and sunny morning in Seattle. The unusual light streaming in through the bathroom window, though, could not shift the gloom that surrounded Sarah. She put the last touch on her eye makeup and grabbed her purse from the guest room before heading out into the living room. Her dad was there, looking gray and forlorn and lost as he sat on the couch, waiting for Sarah to get him in the car and drive him to the funeral home. The house was quiet, because Henry and the kids were over at her brother’s house. The boys had wanted to play with their cousins, and Henry needed a break from dealing with his grieving wife and father-in-law.

“Time to go, Dad.” Sarah teared up yet again as she looked at her father’s face. What was he going to do, she wondered. What on earth was he going to do without her mother?

The last few whirlwind months had exhausted the entire family. Her mother’s leukemia had been in remission for a number of years, but when she started getting tired more easily and dark bruises showed up regularly on her legs, they had all begun to worry. Her mother had taken months and months to die, shrinking into almost a skeleton before finally giving up. Sarah had flown up several times over the last few months, and knew Southwest’s flight schedule between Phoenix and Seattle by heart.

Sarah pulled the car into the parking lot of the funeral home, and pulled into a spot near the doors. She helped her dad out of the car, and held his arm as they walked into the building. They were early, but there were a few well wishers already there in the lobby. Sarah smiled wanly at people she recognized as her parents’ neighbors, then headed into the viewing room. Marci, their assigned bereavement coordinator, was there, arranging the last few details. Marci, Sarah thought. That name’s too perky for someone who works at a funeral home.

“Morning, Sarah. Everything’s just about ready.” Marci was always cheerful, which was starting to grate on Sarah’s nerves.

She gathered her dad from the lobby, where he had been detained by Henry and Sarah’s brothers, who had arrived just after Sarah and her father. She guided her father over to the open casket and set him up as the last one in line everyone would talk to. Other family members joined the group in the viewing room, and soon there was a line of visitors extending out the front door.

Over and over, they said the same things. “We’re so sorry.” “How are you doing?” “You must be glad she’s in a happy place.” “Isn’t it wonderful that her suffering is over?” Sarah’s mind began to numb as she received hugs from and shook hands with people who had known and loved her mother.

About an hour into the viewing, she was brought back into the present by the approaching figure of her second cousin, Mark. He waved as she glanced at the line to see who was next. Ugh, she inwardly groaned. She looked for Henry, who was entertaining the boys across the room, and their eyes met, his giving her a warning about Mark.

“Well, hello, Sarah! It’s lovely to see you on this fine morning. Isn’t the sunlight gorgeous?” Mark gushed.

“Yes, it’s lovely.” Mark missed the sarcasm in Sarah’s voice.

“I don’t want to take too long, since I know there’s a long line, and besides we can catch up at the lunch here in a couple of hours. How are you and Henry enjoying Mesa? Is Henry still in the construction business? And how are those two young strapping boys of yours? How’s your master’s degree coming?”

Sarah answered as briefly as she could, anxious to get rid of Mark and be one person closer to the end of the viewing. Mark kept talking, though, rattling on about his sales business, and Sarah could feel the irritation begin to build.

“Well, like I said, let’s talk more at the lunch. Maybe I could sit with the boys and show them my new magic tricks! I’m glad I could be here to join you on this day of rejoicing. Your mother’s in a better place now!”

Day of rejoicing, thought Sarah. Huh. Suddenly something inside her snapped. In seeming slow motion, her fingers slowly formed a fist, and her arm cocked back. Her fist cracked as it connected with Mark’s surprised face, and the crack was followed by a thump as Mark passed out and hit the ground.

In the quiet seconds after Mark hit the ground, her father turned to Sarah with a sly grin and whispered “Way to go! That pompous jerk was getting on my nerves. Day of rejoicing, my foot!” He muttered something about standing in a real punch line before winking at her and helping Henry move Mark out of the way. The brightness had returned to her father’s eyes, at least for the moment, and that made knocking out her second cousin at her mother’s viewing worth it.