It's Got a Beat, Mr. Jones

I Wonder Who That Was...

Eddie sat staring at the coffin with empty eyes. Jeff was saying words that Eddie didn't understand. Bobby wasn't there. Denise was crying. Her baby was silent. The baby's hair had now grown out to be curly and blonde just like John's had been when he was that young. Mary sat respectfully staring at Jeff.
Ever since John's death, Jeff had been cold. Mary and Jeff were growing apart. Mary still liked Jeff, but he never seemed to respond to her. It was getting harder to love him.
Jeff stepped away from the coffin. The world seemed silent except Denise's sobs. The coffin was put in the ground and it was buried under dirt. The sun was setting.
Jeff was the first to leave. Mary stayed behind. She walked over to Eddie. He barely glance up at her. She sat down beside him. She placed her hand on his. He glanced over at her hand, but didn't say anything.
Eddie and Mary sat together for a long time. Bobby never showed up to the funeral and Bobby wouldn't see John's grave for a very long time.
Eddie stood up. It was almost midnight. Mary stood up after him. She looked extremely tired.
Eddie walked Mary back to the hotel, but he didn't go to his own room. He walked around the empty streets of the town. It was his and John's hometown. They had both been born here. They had met each other here. They had played their first gigs here.
Eddie stared at the crumbling sidewalks and the broken lampposts. He walked by the house he had lived in when he was younger. He stopped and stared at John's old house. Another family was living in it now. There was a light on in the top room. Someone was working.
Eddie walked up the sidewalk to the house and almost knocked on the door. He bit his lip and walked away from the house. A man opened the window as Eddie was walking away from the house. The man watched Eddie for a short time.
"I wonder who that was..." The man mumbled as he lit a cigarette.
Eddie was now halfway down the street. He was heading towards a small playground. The swings were moving in the wind, and the merry-go-round was rotating with a low squeaking sound. Eddie walked to the swings and sat down on one. The wind gently pushed him forwards and backwards. The rhythmic motions were making him sleepy.
Eddie knew he probably should go back to the hotel and sleep, but he couldn't bring himself to go back. He couldn't bring himself to stand up and walk past all the things he knew from his youth, all the things that he and John had shared so long ago. Eddie didn't want to walk past all the memories again. Not again...
Eddie looked down at his watch. It was four in the morning.