To catch up … Chrissy and her mom have visited Claire in the hospital after a school shooting.

In the hospital hall, I saw Aspen Jennings. She always knew the latest news, so I asked her if she had heard anything.

“One student was killed,” she said breathlessly. “All I know is that his first name is ‘James’.” Even though it was bad news I could tell she loved being the font of all knowledge.

“Thanks, Aspen. Ok, Mom, I guess I’ll catch up with Jody later.”

We got into the car and headed for home. I was thinking about Claire, Ken, Jody, and some of the other kids. Suddenly, I remembered something about Jody.

“Oh my God, Mom!” I burst into tears. “No! No! No!”

I was sobbing uncontrollably and near panic. My mom pulled the car over. “What is it, Chrissy?”

“It’s Jody, Mom. His full name is ‘James Jody Cameron’, but he has always gone by ‘Jody. Oh, Mom, it’s Jody, I just know it is.”

“Calm down, Honey. I’ll make some calls. There are a lot of kids in that school.” We pulled into our driveway. “Go lie on your bed and let me make some calls.”

“OK, Mom.”

I lay across my bed. I could faintly hear my mom on the phone, but I couldn’t understand anything she was saying. Then, I heard her say a little louder, “Oh, no!” I knew then … my pal, my boyfriend, my best friend in the whole world ... was dead!

Someone rapped lightly on my door. “Come in, Mom.” She opened the door, but before she could say anything, I said, “I know, Mom. It’s Jody.”

She rushed to my bedside and held me as I unloaded my pain and grief. It couldn’t be Jody ... but it was Jody! I sobbed until I hurt. My Jody! It can’t be Jody!

“Mom, what am I gonna do?”

She didn’t answer. What could she say? There was no comfort for me … only pain and misery. I repeated, “Jody! My Jody is gone!”

She brought me two white tablets. “Take these, Honey, then try to rest.”

I took the tablets and the pain eased a bit. I began to feel sleepy. I closed my eyes. So sleepy ….

I woke up and it was getting dark outside. Reality hit me again after the brief respite while I slept. I ventured out of my room and went to the dining room, where my mom was seated at the table working on her laptop.

“Feel better, Honey?”

“Yes, ma’am … a little. I just can’t believe it!”

“Yes, denial is the first step in grieving. It will take a while, but it will get better, I promise.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

“I’m going to visit Claire. You wanna come?”

“Yes! I’ll get ready.”

Claire had heard about Jody, and she had been crying. “I’m sorry, Chrissy. I know how much he meant to you. Mom, what about the shooter?”

“Oh, he’s in jail, or course. If he ever gets out, it won’t be for a very long time. All I’ve heard is that he was a senior and his first name is Sean. It doesn’t matter much. What’s important is the victims. You should be able to come home in a couple of days.”

“I’ll be glad to get home. I wonder when classes will start back.”

“Probably next week. Get some rest, Honey.”

“That’s about all I can do here.”

When the “couple of days” passed that Mom had promised her, Claire was more than ready to leave the hospital. She said if they tried to keep her one more day, she would sneak out when no one was looking. I believed her; she was that much like Mom.

Jody’s funeral was the next day and Claire said there was no way she would let me go alone.

Mom dropped Claire and me off early for Jody’s funeral. Jody didn’t look real. He looked like a wax figure. As I looked down at him, Claire squeezed my hand, and I realized how lucky I was to have her.

A man approached us and said, “Chrissy Davis?”

I said, “That’s me.”

“Could you come out in the hall for a minute?” He looked like a nice enough guy, so Claire and I followed him. He started out with, “My name is John Cameron, and that’s my son laid out in there. I know who you are and I want you to get your ass out of here you perverted little pissant, and don’t show your face here again!”

I was speechless, as was Claire. I had never heard an adult talk like that, and he was talking to me! I couldn’t believe my ears! I felt myself blushing and my heart was pounding. The tears would be coming soon. Jody’s mom came out the door, however, just in time to hear what he was saying. “John, hold on. You better shut up before you get yourself in trouble. These girls ….”

“This is not a girl … it’s a … thing … a pervert”

“John, close your mouth before you get yourself in a hole you can’t get out of. Now you listen to me. I’ll tell you when to talk, and I’ll tell you what to say! The mother of these two girls is a friend of mine. She is also an attorney, and she would love to take you to court for the thousands of dollars of child support you owe. If she does that, you will have no choice but to pay up or go to jail.”

By this time, the man was very quiet.

“Now, apologize to these girls and get out!”

The man’s attitude change incredibly. “Ladies, I have been extremely rude, and I’m sorry. Please accept my sincere apology.”

I was stunned by the man’s change in attitude. “Thank you, Mr. Cameron. That’s really gracious.”

Claire spoke up, “We accept your apology.”

“Ladies, have a good day.” He nodded his head slightly and left.

Mrs. Cameron watched as he left, then turned to us. “Girls, they say ‘Money talks and bullshit walks’. You’ve just seen an example of both. The money talked, he listened, and you’ve just seen the bullshit walk away.”

Claire and I smiled. “Thank you, Mrs. Cameron.”

“Chrissy, Jody was a new person because of you. It seemed like every time he opened his mouth in the past few weeks it was something about Chrissy. He would see something advertised on TV, and he would say, ‘I’ll bet would Chrissy would like one of those’.” She opened her purse. “I want to show you something. This is part of the reason John is so angry. Jody called him and told him he had a new girlfriend and asked for money to buy her a gift. Of course, he didn’t tell his dad who the new girlfriend was.” She pulled a tiny box out of her purse. “He used his dad’s money to buy you this.”

I opened the box to find the most beautiful engagement ring I had ever seen.

“He knew he was probably buying that a long time before he needed to, but he said he didn’t want to let you slip away from him. Chrissy, the ring is yours, and I want you to put the ring on and wear it as long as you like. Also, I want both of you to sit with the family during the funeral. Our family is not that big, so we have plenty of room. Don’t worry about John. He’s a changed man, thanks to my threat to his finances.”

She led us to the family seating area. Mr. Cameron stood when he saw us approaching. I thought he was going to cause some trouble. He stood still, however, until we sat, then he sat back down. I can’t say he was a gentleman, but he knew how to act like one. I wore the ring, but I didn’t make a show of it since Mr. Cameron was behaving and I saw no need to antagonize him.

The room was full and overflowing, mostly with students. Mr. Hammond and many school staff members were there. Apparently, the principal was another one able to put on a “gentleman” act when the need arose.

I was only vaguely aware of what the preacher said about Jody. The whole scene was surreal. You’re not supposed to have a funeral for a teenager. We waited as the guests passed by the casket, then, everyone in the family stood up and Claire and I followed as the family passed by the casket for one last viewing. This was the very last time I would ever see his face, and it was so incredibly painful for me I can’t begin to describe it. I couldn’t imagine what his mom was going through. A relatively small percentage of moms are put through this, and she seemed to hold up incredibly well under the circumstances.

I thought it was an odd custom of having the family view the casket, then going outside where everyone else has gathered and stands watching as the family exits. It’s almost as if the family is being judged as to whether their grief is sufficient. After the judging is done, everyone goes to their cars to await the loading of the casket into the hearse. Then, the procession of cars begins a slow ride escorted by police motorcycles, stopping traffic as the mourners are treated to the rare privilege of running through any traffic lights or stop signs on the way to the cemetery.

At the cemetery the family gathers, surrounded by other mourners, as the preacher says a few final words and a prayer. Then, everyone leaves and the casket is lowered into the ground; never to be seen again.

A funeral is a ritual performed in an attempt to accomplish the extremely difficult task of bringing some degree of comfort to the bereaved. Friends and family gather to commiserate … to come together and remember the deceased and take some comfort in the knowledge that our God is a just God, and Jesus paid everything for the sins of the deceased as well as our own. That may bring some degree of comfort, but there is nothing celebratory or happy about any of this; nor should there be. In this case, the age of the deceased makes the scene even more dreadful. Finally, the family and friends depart for their homes to continue their grieving and, for this particular occasion, try to understand how God could allow such a thing to happen.

Jody was my friend, and that friendship was growing and had the prospects of a wonderful future. In a small portion of a second, that future was gone. Jody wasn’t perfect, but he was head and shoulders above most. “I just can’t believe it!” The sentence went through my mind over and over, with renewed pain every time. There is no quick and easy cure for this pain. Time offers some solace, but it is an extended time, during which the pain is a constant, unwanted companion.