Homeward Bound

Homeward Bound Chapter 20

Our heels clicked clacked on the stone flooring, echoing up through the vaulted ceiling, as we walked down the aisle to where the coffin had been stationed. All four pull bears were stood on either corner, heads bow and showing real respect.

I went up to the bear coffin and gingerly pressed my hand on the polished wood. Mum joined me but didn't reach out.

'How can such a big man be in something so small,' she whispered to me.

'I know what you mean,' I replied, biting my lip to stop my voice from wobbling.

She turned from the coffin and walked to the front pew, set aside for family. Izzy and Connie were already sat there and scooted along for us to sit down, while Archie and Frank sat the other side, or more Frank sat in the pew with the carer and Archie had been parked up in the front of the pew, with his own order of service, which could be found on the desk in front of each pew. Archie didn't look amused, which I could assume was because there was no picture of dad there, just a plain cross in the middle.

'No photo, Gwen,' Izzy remarked in her normal sour like way.

'No Izzy, Phil wouldn't want it,' mum replied soberly, taking up the order of service from the desk.

I looked at Izzy who looked like she might take mum to task about it, but she kept her council when Connie, nudged her rather abruptly. Mr Thomas now looked ready to start, on time which was something.

'Friends and parishes we are gathered here today to remember Philip Andrew Tucker, a man of many colours. First we will sing the hymn we plough the fields and scatter.'

'What?' Izzy hissed out as the organist began and we all stood up.

'Phil always liked that hymn and they wouldn't allow me to have Jerusalem,' mum snapped back, before beginning on the first words of the hymn, while I reflected that dad had enjoyed the harvest festival hymn.

It was as we moved onto the next line in the hymn that I heard mum's voice wobbling on the verge of going into sobs. I tried my best to prepare for this, get I wasn't because I too, could feel that emotional lump in my throat and liquid tears blurring my eyes. Then a noise that was almost ear splitting reached my ears and the moment was lost to the fact I wanted to laugh.

Somewhere within the congregation was a woman who liked the sound of her voice or just was very loud and like to prove a point that she could sing like a soprano would do. Mum began to waver in her song, like she too had heard this cross rhythm of a woman going higher and holding notes far longer than the organist was bashing them out. The wobble of sorrow that had been in her voice had now been replace by a hint of hysterical laughter. I nudged her to behave, while fighting my own war.

Finally the hymn came to a closure and mum couldn't contain her curiosity and looked behind us before turning quickly back, trying not to laugh.

'Mum,' I whispered my scolding to her.

'It's Margo,' she managed to whisper back, glancing at me. 'Her and Ethan are here.'

I made no reply as Mr Thomas got up and stood in the front of us all, nodding and indicating to someone at the back to come forward.

'As you all know, I am new to this parish, so with in mind that I never got the pleasure to meet Philip in his final days, it was suggested that maybe those who respected him did,' he explained, causing me to frown firstly at mum, who looked rather shocked that he could find anyone willing to talk about him, I then frowned at Mr Thomas, who was smiling before there was a shuffle of feet and two men in grey suits came into few.

Mum gasped so noticeably that Izzy nudged her so hard she rebounded into me. I contained myself and wondered how this had come about with out us knowing.