Stable Connection

Chapter Two

Katalina Walker

 

 

            Fresh tears coated my cheeks as my family stood around Bubbas casket; it was still hard to believe that he was gone. I had know the man my entire life and he was more like an Uncle to me than just one of the workers on the farm; he had been there right along with my father for almost all of the milestones of my life. He was there the first time I rode a horse, along with the first time I got bucked off, he was there for my kindergarten, JR High and high school graduations; Bubba was even there when I got baptized. He was right at my fathers side when I got punished for sneaking out or coming home drunk; although I know he was the one that would always cover me up when I would sneak into the barn drunk from a party and sleep it off on the cot in the tack room.

            Bubba was always there for everything and I couldn’t imagine what life on the farm was going to be like now that he was gone; it just wasn’t right that such a great man was taken from us and I knew that all our lives would change forever without him here. The first day he was gone and I walked into the barn it was like life itself was missing from the space; it seemed dull and lifeless, it was lacking the normal luster and shine that seemed to follow Bubba around everywhere he went. It was like walking into your house to find that your favorite painting was missing from the wall; the room would never be the same without it. I wiped away a few more stray tears as I was called to the front of the casket to give a eulogy about Bubba before they lowered him into the ground; when they first asked me to speak I had declined thinking that I wouldn’t have the courage to do it, but I knew that Bubba would have wanted me to stay strong and it would have meant a lot to him to have me speak for him so I sucked it up and decided to do it.

“Thank you everyone for bein’ here today to pay tribute to Bubba. Today we must say goodbye to one of the greatest men most of us have ever known. Bubba was one of the most lovin’ and carin’ people to have ever walked gods great earth; he had a heart of gold and wasn’t afraid to share it with anyone. Bubba was the type of man that would give you the shirt off his back even if it was the last one he owned; he was the most unselfish person I have ever had the pleasure of knowin’. I shared a lot of great times with Bubba on the farm; he taught me how to change shoes on the horses and how to use a pitch fork to shovel hay, but most of all he taught me respect, kindness, and when to forgive and forget. Bubba was a man of knowledge for things that can’t be taught in books or school; he had his own way of showin’ you the world in a whole different light. Without Bubba I wouldn’t be the woman I am today and I’m sure some of you wouldn’t be the men and women you are today either; he was a man of many words and there are many words that I could use to describe him but I would like to sum it up into three simple words. Lovin’, loyal and devoted; Bubba you are a great man and will never be forgotten.” 

            I was surprised to find fresh tears coating my face by the time I went back to take my place next to my parents; throughout the speech I hadn’t notice that I was even crying. My father hugged me closer to his side as he wiped away a few tears of his own from his face; I know that Bubbas death was affecting him the most out of all of us. Bubba and my father had been friends since they were young and he always thought of Bubba as more of a brother than an employee; the two had been inseparable since they first met and it was rare to ever see one without seeing the other. They spent every single day together on the farm and Bubba had even joined us for a few of our family vacations; even though he wasn’t blood related he was family, he was our kin.