Remember To Forget

47

The rectangular, bronze box sank into the greedy mouth of the earth. It's edges were well shaped and it's wood smooth to it's last carve. Six feet under and never to be restored, Jonathan gave his mother to the soil.

The sky didn't blink, it was bright and sunny. In absence of the gloom, it was a beautiful day. The rain that was meant to accompany the empty, depressed feeling of the sermon didn't. The sun smiled and the clouds stood proud.

The funeral of Naomi Chidi was the sunniest day Katherine had ever seen. She wanted it to rain just like in the movies, she wanted the rain to hide her tears and the dark clouds to signify that her grandmother was gone.

She cranked her neck to peep at her father who stood beside her. His hands were hurting her fingers from squeezing them so tight. His face had no tears unlike hers. Katherine has never seen her father so stiff. It didn't seem like he was breathing or blinking. His eyes were focused on the four men who dropped her grandmother's into the ground. There were flowers around the grave. Pretty flowers that made her grandmother's grave look pretty. Katherine felt fear and a sick feeling run through her stomach when she finally realized that her grandmother would never hold her, talk to her or cook her favorite dish for her. Katherine didn't want her grandmother to go. Uncle Lawrence had killed her grandmother.

Her grandmother was a hero, with that thought Katherine recalled the last words her grandmother had said to her, "Just focus on talking to me and my voice baby." Those words warmed through the empty feeling in her chest and Katherine knew that whenever she needed to be bold, she would always think of her hero.

Laura felt her daughter grip her knuckles. She looked down at her child and it broke her soul to see how much she was trying to put up a brave face. Laura didn't know what was going through her daughter's mind, she wanted to pull her up to her laps and pat her braided hair to comfort. The image of bullets firing at her daughter sent a deadly shiver through Laura's chest. She let her head drop to the collar of her black dress. She gave up the lamentful ache she felt in her chest to the tears in her eyes. Laura spoke from her soul to her ancestors, she prayed that they bless the soul of her daughter's saviour.

Laura's whispered prayers were heard by her mother, Sandra, who stood beside her. Sandra could never imagine the world without few people in her life and Naomi was high on that list. Sandra shut her eyes, she allowed her mind zip to the day the announcement of her bestfriend's death was made to her. Her granddaughter had returned home. She was pretty shaken up but Katherine was alive. Sandra had not noticed the sullen faces of the rest of the family. The moment she heard John's bellows, she had transferred her focus from her shivering grandchild to the news of her friend. Sandra could remember the jaded taste of sadness that had overtaken her whole being.

They were meant to survive together, Sandra cried when she remembered the promise they had made to each other in Laura's party. She wept without shame for her bestfriend who had always fought for her family. Sandra felt a hand wrap around her clutched, frightened knuckles. She knew it was Yinka, he hadn't left her side since the dreadful news. Sandra felt weak and vulnerable, she dropped her head to his shoulders as he kept whispering words of solace to her ears.

"....In the name of the father, the son and the holy spirit we gather here today to lay to eternal rest a mother, a friend and a grandmother. Naomi was a great woman who laid down her life for family, she always treasured family. We are here today to honour hers soul unto heaven, we are here ..."

The Reverend sermon washed through Jonathan's ears. His throat felt dry and his face, numb. Jonathan tried his best to drag his gaze from his mother's sinking casket but his orbs refused to sight anything else. He knew there were no tears in his eyes. The image of his mother crumbling down to the ground in bullet wounds wouldn't leave his head, it was like a record that had no stop button. His brain wanted, needed to forget about where he was at the moment, he wanted his mind to wander. His senses fought his will to be blinded to the poignant display. He won the battle over his senses as his thoughts ran back to every event that had led to that very moment. Jonathan was desperate to know if there was another scenerior where his mother was home.

The funeral marked fourteen days in a world without the only parent Jonathan ever loved. His mother's death was more than enough to allow his father rot in prison. The evidence accumulated by John and Martin was an ultimate bonus, his junior brother had been absolutely distraught about their mother's crossover. Lawrence escape wasn't ignored. The tracker and her team had organized a local man-hunt which lasted for five days. They contacted an old client of theirs who had agreed to lure Lawrence in with a false desire to purchase his gold.

It had taken a while but Lawrence had fallen for the trap. In the middle of the transaction the tracker and her men had shown up in the scene but Lawrence was prepared. He came along with a bomb which he wore as a vest. He threatened to press the red button if they didn't let him go. The tracker tried to speak to him but Lawrence had declined her plea.

Their conversation was an intent to cause delay. The tracker's team had a sniper who stood at attention ready to fire and he did the very minute his boss gave him a fingered signal to pull the trigger.

Lawrence died with a hole in-between his eyes and a bag of unpurified gold beside him. The tracker and her team returned the gold to Laura but it did nothing to simmer the great loss of the family.

"Now I call on the children of the deceased to say their goodbyes." The Reverend words jerked Jonathan to earth. He adjusted his black suit which felt stuffed. He strolled to the wide, significant hole. His elder brother, Jackson, said a few words to the crowd then threw a moderate amount of dirt into the opening. Jonathan was suppose to be next but he didn't make a move.

His junior brother, John, turned to the little close crowd and said fewer words. He hurled more dirt into his mother's grave. Jonathan forced his arms to pick the shovel from his brother.

He cleared his throat. "Rest in peace mom, from the moment you gave birth to us, you have been a hero, a great parent and friend. There is no one else like you. Your story will always be told, generations to come as you live on in our hearts. We love you Mom. Death might have taken you but your life lives on in our memories, our hearts and your heroism." Jonathan shoveled dark dirt and dropped it into the massive hole.

The next family member came along and the same ritual took place till the last. Katherine gave the longest speech and Sandra cried the most.

Laura observed a man she had once forgotten but has come to know more than any other person. She could count how many words they had said to each other for the past two weeks. She noticed his dry eyes and emotionless face. It broke her soul to see him hurt and his lack of knowledge on how to handle his broken state of being.

She decided to put on her bold shoes and walk up to him. She stood beside him for a minute, she wasn't sure if he was oblivious to her presence or if he was ignoring her. She got an answer when he froze up under her touch. The hand which she placed on his shoulder were nervous. His demeanor shut a door to her face, he was locked up to the extent he couldn't look at her.

Laura let her hand fall from his broad shoulders, "I will be here when you're ready." She drove her heels towards her daughter who was already asleep in her godfather's arm. Yinka placed Katherine at the backseat of the black Jeep with her mother then stepped into the driver's seat with Sandra beside him. Before he drove off the private cemetery, Laura glanced out the window. She witnessed the regnant stature of the three brothers. Their gaze were fixed to a particular rock.

The cementry was empty of the living except three wistful men who couldn't bear to leave the sight of their mother. They stood quiet and impassive. Time was obsolete to their sorrow as it passed by without recognition. The setting sun gave a shine to the words embedded on the tombstone.

Jonathan and his brothers focused on the final phrase which was written on the head of their mother's tomb.

Never forget family.

The sun gave way to the evening when the three brothers went their separate ways.