Orange December

Chapter 7

The day after that happened was a Friday. I was numb. Lexie was mildly functional. Our friends were waiting for us to tell them what had happened, but all they needed to see was our faces to know whether or not Monster Truck was still alive. In first period, Luke and Violet patted me on the back to comfort me when they saw me. In second, Anne put her hand on mine for a split second before she sat down in front of me, and she didn't fluff her hair in my face at all. The rest of my classes were really a blur, and I was just going through the motions of being at school. I took notes when I was supposed to, and I tried to be normal, but all I could think of was the morning before when I was saying goodbye to Monster Truck before school.

"Hey," I'd started, "I love you, Monster Truck. I love you so much and I hope you're okay," I said, picking up her little body and hugging her almost too tightly. She licked me a few times gently, as if she knew she would be gone later that day, and I put her down so Lexie could do the same. I learned later that Mom went to an engraving place to get a special urn for her ashes after taking her to her euthanization. It would be ready the morning of December ninth, a Saturday. We decided to plan a funeral for that day. I snapped out of my little flashback of sorts, remembering that I had to tell my friends to come over for it the next day. I decided to let them know at lunch.

"Yeah, we're gonna have a little ceremony tomorrow after Mom picks up the engraved urn thing. You guys should come, I know Buttons- I mean, Monster Truck would have loved it." They all nodded in response.

"We wouldn't miss it for the world, Rob," Violet offered, a sympathetic smile on her face. Anne and Luke nodded in agreement. Luke's hand started to reach for Lexie's, but then he realized what he was doing and just patted her hand for a moment instead. She fought back a smile. Ah, I'd ask them about it later. Maybe.

In homeroom, our teacher didn't have much planned, so we mostly just talked for the rest of the period after he said hello to us. This was fairly normal for a Friday. I turned to Luke and talked about the next day.

"So, yesterday my mom went to this engraving place at the mall and found, like, a nice little container thing we could put her ashes in, like an urn I guess? Anyways, she got it engraved and it should be ready to pick up tomorrow morning. She put Monster Truck's real actual full name on it too, I can't believe she did that..." I trailed off.

"Her full name? You mean it's not Buttons Monster Truck or whatever?"

"...No, there's more to it. Her full name is..." I looked at him, and he seemed awkwardly excited, "...it's Buttons Sunday Sunday Sunday Monster Truck Rally. I mean, we were like seven years old, and-"

"Oh, my God, that name is amazing. I mean, God rest her soul and all that, but oh, my God-" he just sort of laughed to himself and I waited for him to come back to reality. "Right," he said, clearing his throat, "did you need anything?"

"Yeah, I was hoping you could bring your trumpet to the funeral and play that one song they play at funerals. You know, while we're transferring her ashes from whatever they come in to the urn my mom bought."

"That's what you wanted?" Luke asked. "Dude, I was already planning on doing that. I'm practicing for the last bit of the concert next week anyway." I smiled. We kept talking for a little while after that, and left once the bell rang. We all studied together that day, but I went through Friday night church mostly thinking about Monster Truck and how we'd have her little ceremony tomorrow.

The next morning, I was awakened by my mom knocking on my door. I mumbled in response, turning over in bed.

"Robby, come on! Come with me to pick up the urn. It'll take an hour, tops."

I grumbled again.

"I'll take you out to breakfast."

I was up. "I'll be out in a second," I muttered sleepily, sitting up and throwing on a random outfit, stepping into my shoes on the way out. Lexie joined us in the car, bags forming under her eyes. I was sure I had them under my eyes too.