ODDS OF LOVE SEASON TWELVE

Episode 104

Zennis " Zipp " Dennis hated funerals. He always had. He didn't like the fact that everyone he knew and loved in his life would one day just disappear on him. Like they never had existed. Like they had disappeared.

He didn't want his child to just disappear , he thought as he sat in the UUC church in Hyattsville between his parents Zennis Sr. and Mildred , greeting well wishers and trying to avoid looking at the heavily flower draped hot pink casket where his precious baby girl was and would always be for eternity. Diamond wore her favorite pink ruffled dress with the little gold heart shaped earrings they had given her for Christmas and her beloved gold locket that had inside it a picture of the three of them at Disney Land. Behind him sat Ethan who leaned forward occasionally to pat him on the shoulder gently. Flower sat on the opposite side of the church in the front row next to her own parents and her sister Teresa. They had not talked, him and her , since it happened. Since she had put him out of the house that had been their home. She planned to leave the country directly after the funeral he knew. He didn't think she would be back again.

They were not religious people. They didn't belong to a church really. They chose the UUC because it was nontraditional and not overly religious. The ministers were nice as well. Reverend Lucas , or Jas as the man in the simple dark suit and glasses had told him , and Reverend Joy were very kind to him and Flower. The choir was fairly decent too. They in their red and gold robes were singing Rebel's "  Daddy's Lil Girl "which was Diamond and his favorite song.

A single tear slipped down his long thin face as his mother squeezed his hand and Ethan kept his hand on his shoulder supportively. Richard Norland and his son Lewis stopped before him.

Lewis didn't smile. The young boy looked so serious and gravefaced as he whispered," Sorry about Diamond. "

Zipp fought back tears as he stared back at the child and said quietly," I'm sorry too. I'm so sorry what our daughter did to you, Lewis."

Lewis nodded and looked at his father who just smiled softly at him and put an arm around his shoulders. Zipp almost hated the man because he still had his child. He had many children actually. Zipp only had one. Now he had none. He wanted to rage. He wanted to scream. He wanted to hit something. Anything.

Richard said," I'm sorry too , Zipp. "

Zipp looked at the man and vaguely wondered if he actually remembered him. Probably not. After all, he was not very memorable. His games were but not him.

Then right before Richard and Lewis moved away to go sit down in a nearby row Richard stopped and stared at Zipp. He watched Zipp for a while before saying," We had good times in school, didn't we ? Back in the day? It was fun. And, in some ways, ...... easier. "

Zipp actually smiled slightly as he looked back at him. " Yes. We did. And they were. In some ways. " Then he looked back at Ethan who he was dismayed to see looking at Richard with such longing in his eyes.