Parallel Lives

Chapter 19: 6 Feet Under - Jacob

   (This is gonna also be kind of sad but also kinda savage. You'll see. I hope you guys will enjoy this)! 

   Today is another sad day. Angela's burial. There's too much negativity going around. From Sabrina not getting along with Mom, Grandma acting like an asshole to Sabrina, and Dad's selfish boss attending both of their funerals. Mom, Sabrina, and I have practically ignored him all these days. We didn't give two shits about him. He's irrelevant. At least Angela's boss showed up and offered condolences and spoke great things about her.

   Sabrina came again a little later than us. She's been staying at Angela's apartment to get away from Mom. I kept telling her to stay at the firehouse but she would refuse. She wore a black dress this time. I noticed Grandma had scoffed when she saw her wearing "appropriate funeral attire." She hasn't come to us since yesterday, after I told her to "fuck off."

   "Aren't you lonely inside your sister's apartment?" Jimmy asked. "No. Angela's best friend and coworker, James, has been keeping me company. He lives next door. He's been very upset about her and Dad's deaths, since he was close with Angie and he credits her for saving his life." Sabrina explained. Jimmy nodded. "Are Dad and Angela the only ones who died on their floors?" I asked. "I think so. I asked James about the 81st floor and he said that everyone except for Angela are accounted for. I don't know about floor 91. I only spoke to three of Dad's coworkers that survived." Sabrina answered.

   I knew the three coworkers Sabrina was talking about. Marie, Dave, and George. They had encountered Dad and Angie on or around the 75th floor. They were caught up because of the smoke and almost didn't make it out. Angela had been struggling to breathe and Dave handed her his inhaler. They were still there when the South Tower got hit. Angela had known based on the sound being the exact same as when the North Tower got hit. They managed to make it out. They waited for Dad and Angie, but they insisted that they continue and not wait for them.

   "I wonder where the survivors will go. Like, where are they gonna work now?" I wondered aloud. "James said he's looking for a job now, but it's difficult since a lot of businesses are temporarily closed down. He's also dealing with immense trauma. I assume that's the same for everyone else that worked at the World Trade Center." Sabrina replied. Maybe so.

   Finally, it was time for something Sabrina and I, and definitely Mom, were not looking forward to. It was time for Angela's burial. Her casket was closed and carried out to the hearse. I sat in between Sabrina and Mom. Mom was gazing at Sabrina while she stared out of the window. I felt bad for Mom, but she shouldn't have said any of that.

   We finally reached the cemetery. Angela was going to be buried next to Dad, which is something I know they'd enjoy. The casket was carried out by me, Tommy, Eddie, Donny, Jimmy, and Chief Peterson. They willingly did it, which was nice. We set the casket down. The funeral director said a few words that I wasn't focusing on. I was just focusing on a sobbing Sabrina while Mom was being comforted by Grandma.

   The casket was finally lowered to the ground. I looked down as tears left my eyes. I'm really going to miss her. Sabrina had been leaning on me so I had felt her weight. However, I felt the weight leaving. I looked and saw that she was fainting. I quickly grabbed her with the help from Captain Thomas. We held her to avoid her from falling to the ground. "What an attention seeker." I heard someone say. I looked and saw that it was Grandma who said it.

   "Shut the fuck up, Grandma! You have no right to talk! Just shut the fuck up and keep your words to yourself!" I shouted. I could hear chatter going on but I could care less. "Don't talk to your grandmother that way, son." Another person said. It was Bryan Smithson, Dad's boss. I was seething in anger. I carried Sabrina and passed her to Tommy. I walked over to Bryan until I was face to face with him.

   "You have no right to talk. Don't ever call me 'son.' I am not your son. That word is reserved for John Rossi, my father who you abandoned. You see that casket that was lowered? My sister is inside. Unlike you, he didn't abandon her! You abandoned all of your employees! You don't have a right to say anything to me or my sister! Just shut the fuck up, keep your mouth shut, and get the fuck out of here you irrelevent prick!" I shouted. I could see the funeral director having a shocked look on his face as I looked through my peripheral vision.

   I walked back to my unit as they stared at me in amazement. "Great job, kid." Captain Thomas uttered. I gave him a slight smile. The funeral was finally over so we left the cemetery. Grandma and Mom hadn't looked at me since my outbursts. I could hear some stirring coming from Sabrina, who was still in Tommy's arms. "What happened?" She croaked out. "You passed out." Tommy answered. He set Sabrina down. "Did the burial happen?" She asked. I nodded.

   "Dude, you missed something so cool! Jacob cursed out your grandmother and your dad's boss." Jimmy said. "Did he?" Sabrina asked. I began to explain what happened. Sabrina laughed a lot, the first time I've heard her laugh this hard since everything. She gave me a high-five. "Amazing job, Jakey!" Sabrina giggled. I smiled, happy to hear her laugh.

   My heart nearly broke though when I realized tomorrow is her first day back to school. She isn't going to be happy, I know it. I never told her teachers what happened to her, so they don't know what she went through. I hope they'll be understanding tomorrow.

   (Go Jacob! Anyways, you guys can probably tell what the next upload will be about. I hope you guys enjoyed this! See you soon)!