by Joe Pulizzi
Without saying a word, Sam took Denise and Jess by the hands and led them out the door. I took two steps back and let Jack do his job. Jack removed the casket key from his right jacket pocket, inserted it into the back of the casket, and turned it multiple times to the right. Dad’s legs began to lower. Then Jack did the same on the left side, and Dad’s head sank down into the casket. He pulled forward the cloth hugging the outside of the casket and pushed it inside. Then he removed the flower arrangement from the top right side that said, Beloved Father and Grandfather, and placed it on the chair to the right. Jack pushed down on the casket side above Dad’s legs while I locked it with the key. We moved to the head of the casket and paused.
“Abraham. You were a good and decent man and a great friend. You will be missed,” Jack said. Then he motioned me over. “Would you like to do the honors?”
I loosened the lever above Dad’s head and gently began to close the casket over his head. “Love you, Pop,” I said, shutting the cover, and pushed down hard while Jack sealed it with the key.
“Okay. I’ll see you at the church,” I said and headed to the limo, walking past six of the Sandusky Alliance board members, minus the Traynors, who were waiting to push Dad’s casket into the hearse.
Chapter 19 – The Revelation
The next hour was a blur. The ride over. Walking into church. Watching Dad’s friends push Dad up the aisle in front of the altar. There were a lot of “greats” and “goods” in the homily, but nothing memorable. In talking to the pastor in preparation, he seemed like a decent person, but he didn’t know my father at all outside of funeral masses, which was unfortunate.
After communion, the pastor called me up to make the speech. I was sitting between Denise and Jess, and squeezed both of their hands as I rose, then bowed in front of the altar, stepping up to the lectern.
I stood and looked out at the crowd. The church was easily three-quarters full. About four hundred people. I looked down at Jess, Denise, and Sam, and saw Robby smiling from the third row. Xena was there. Fifth row right. The Sandusky Alliance team decided to sit next to each other near the back. This time, both John and Alex Traynor were present. I pulled the notecards out of my inside pocket and set them on the lectern.
“First of all, on behalf of the Pollitt family, I want to thank each of you for your presence and your kindness over the past few days. For those of you who do not know me, my name is Will Pollitt, and I had the very distinct honor of being Abe’s son.
“Since most of you are from Sandusky, I have a feeling that you’ve all heard about what Abe tried to do for the city. He loved this city and gave almost everything he had to it. This week, I was approached by many of you wondering where this city would be without Abraham Pollitt. But you know that part of the story. You’ve been here. You’ve seen him. You know that side of Abe.
“You probably have also seen Abe in action, let’s say, at a restaurant or at a city planning meeting or perhaps at a funeral when you lost a loved one. Abe had that special gift where he could look you in the eye, shake your hand, and be totally present with you. He wasn’t distracted with what was coming next; he was focused on you and your well-being. Growing up, I remember that going out to dinner was a four-hour affair. We would enter the restaurant. Mom, Denise, and I would grab our seats, and Dad would make it around to every table, greeting everyone with a handshake and a smile. An hour later, Dad would sit down with us. After we ate, we’d repeat the cycle. But you’ve been here. You’ve seen him. You know that side of Abe.
“Here’s something you may not know. My dad woke at four-thirty a.m. every day. Sometimes, if there was a death call in the middle of the night, he would skip sleep altogether. When Denise and I would be getting ready for school, Dad was there with his coffee to talk to us. Sometimes he made us breakfast. Once in a while it was edible. Many times, he packed our lunches. When we would arrive home after school, Dad would be there and make time for catch with me in the backyard or to go for a run with Denise. After dinner with the family, which was critically important to him, he’d leave to go back to work. Usually a visitation at the funeral home.
“The side of Abe you know? He worked all the time. He was everywhere in the city. He accomplished as much as any other person in the history of the city of Sandusky. And yet he never missed a moment to be a father. A true, loving, and present father.
“Some people live their lives always searching for a better life. My father simply chose that his best life was always there for the taking, in front of him every single second of every day.
“Dad, thank you so much for being the true definition of a man. We love you and will truly miss you, but we promise to continue your mission of being present every single day to those who are most important to us.”
I brushed the tear away from my eye, put the notecards back in my inside coat pocket, and headed to the pew. As I sat down, Jess grabbed my hand and Denise whispered into my ear, “Truly wonderful, Will. Heartfelt and organized, just like Dad.”
Heartfelt and organized. Such an odd pair. Yes, Dad was organized, but in a way that only he would recognize as organized. Neat for sure, but not organized. It used to drive my mom crazy, especially when he filed bills for the family. He always thought it was funny to change the headings on file folders as an extra layer of security. I remembered having a long conversation with him about it a few years back.
“Shit!” I said under my breath. Denise elbowed me.
“Will!” she said, giving me a look like I was disrupting class. “What is wrong with you?”
The pallbearers gathered around my dad and headed back out the front of the church.
“I left something at the funeral home that I wanted for the mausoleum,” I whispered to Denise. “I’ll meet you at the cemetery, okay?”
“What if you’re late?”
“I won’t be late. I promise. Tell the driver not to wait for me.”
I turned to Jess and Sam. “I have to grab something from the funeral home, and then I’ll meet you at the cemetery.” I kissed Jess on the cheek and flagged down Robby, who looked as puzzled as I’d ever seen him. I waved him over to the side entrance.
“Where’s your car?”
“In the back,” he said.
“Can you drive me to the funeral home? Quickly.”
Without a word, we hustled out the side entrance, found his car, and he drove off in the direction of the funeral home.
“Take a right here and a left at the next street. That will save us five minutes,” I said.
“What are we doing, Will?”
“I don’t know, but I think I realized that something important is in Dad’s files.”
“What about them?”
“When I finished Dad’s eulogy, Denise said it was heartfelt and organized, just like Dad, which I thought was a weird thing to say. Dad was super organized, the opposite of my desk at work, but often he used weird organization patterns because he liked to throw people off as a level of security. Make a right at the next light. He would drive my mom crazy with it sometimes; he would label a file vacations that was actually work receipts if he was trying to hide something. Anyway, I think he left something for me to find, but only for me since I think I’m the only one who ever asked him about his filing system. I’m pretty sure even Denise doesn’t know.”
Robby made a left and headed to the back entrance of the funeral home.
“Just pull up to the back door. We don’t have much time. Stay here,” I said, opening the passenger door before Robby came to a complete stop.
I ran into the funeral home, headed for Dad’s office, and went behind the desk. I opened the drawer where the files were marked from A to Z. Legal. Licenses. Life Insurance. There it is. I grabbed the file. I also took a small picture of Dad, Mom, Denise, and me that was on his desk. Then I headed out the door and jumped back into Robby’s car.
“The cemetery is just off Perkins Avenue. Take a right and an immediate left, and we can probably beat t
hem there,” I said, breathing heavily.
“So which file is it?” Robby asked.
“Remember that Dad scribbled the words life insurance at home, and I couldn’t figure it out? Well, I think he left that for me, without being obvious about it. I immediately thought it had to do with his life insurance or all this life settlement shit going on, but I think he wanted me to find this file.”
I opened the file, and I knew I was right. I felt both elated and horrified at the same time. I said nothing.
“Well, what’s in it?”
“It’s the secure server and password information to the camera above his office desk.”
WE PULLED IN THE BACK side of the cemetery, twisting through a labyrinth of headstones and large crypts left by the rich and famous of Sandusky. Calvary Cemetery was the oldest one of its kind, dating all the way back to the late 1700s, before Sandusky was incorporated as a city.
Even though he owned his own cemetery, Dad chose this place at the exact middle of Calvary Cemetery because Mom always preferred it. Today, the two of them will be reunited.
As we were approaching from the back, the hearse and limo were parking at the north end of the mausoleum, which was easily the largest one on the property, home to over two hundred bodies. My mother had been present at thousands of death rituals, from burial to cremation, but she always wanted to be entombed above ground. So, of course, that’s what Dad did.
Robby parked, and we hurried to the mausoleum entrance. The ten minutes from the funeral home to the cemetery had given me plenty of time to tell Robby how I found Dad’s office camera, and how I believed, but couldn’t be sure, that no one else knew about it except for my father—and now, the two of us.
I made it to the door in time to hold it open for Denise and Jess, who both gave me strange looks. But the strangest one came from Sam.
“Where did you go?”
“It was something important,” I whispered. “I’ll fill you in.”
Only about a quarter of the funeral mass audience had made it to the cemetery. Most, I imagined, were at the meeting hall, waiting for us and eating and drinking their fill until we arrived.
The ceremony lasted just minutes. The pastor said a final prayer. I assumed it was a prayer since I was lost in my own thoughts. Half were about this wild-goose chase my dad was sending me on, and the other half were about my mom while I stared at her tomb. Laura Rose Pollitt. Beloved Wife and Mother.
After the pastor was finished, Jack said something about everyone heading over to the hall to continue the celebration of Abraham’s life. And then it was just the five of us, me with Denise, Jess, and Sam, with Robby standing off to the side, doing his best to look supportive.
Just before the administrator closed the chamber, I took the photo from Dad’s office and propped it between the casket and the side of the interment space.
“That’s what I went back for. Dad always loved that family picture,” I said to Denise in my best poker face. She nodded in appreciation. I was now confident Denise had been right about her suspicions with Dad’s death, but I didn’t want to fill her in until I was sure.
There were only three cars outside when we left the building: Robby’s car, the limo, and a dark SUV just up the hill. The administrator, I presumed. Our driver, who was waiting at the side of the limo, opened the doors for us to head to the meeting hall. I told Robby to follow us there.
We sat in silence for a while, then Jess said, “Mom. Dad. I’d like to go back tonight if that’s okay.”
I instinctively looked at Sam. When Jess’s mom was around, my opinion took second place. Not that it ever bothered me.
“Are you sure, honey? I can get you up early to head back in the morning. There won’t be any traffic on Sunday morning,” Sam said.
“I know, Mom, but I’ve been putting off a couple big projects, and I’d like to spend the whole day tomorrow working on them. And,” she paused, “I’d really like to get back. If you don’t mind.”
Sam looked at me. My turn to talk.
“Okay,” I said. “Just make a few rounds and say good-bye to your cousins, and you can head back to your mom’s place and grab your stuff.”
The meeting hall was five minutes from both the cemetery and the funeral home. The driver pulled out in front to drop us off.
“Jess, go in with your Aunt Denise. Your mom and I will be right in,” I said. Jess gave me an odd look. I’m sure seeing her parents talking with each other was a weird experience. It was for me anyway.
There was an alcove off the front entrance. I pulled Sam off to the side, and we headed over. There were two ladies extinguishing their cigarettes as we approached. “I’m so sorry for your loss,” they both said in unison. Robby was approaching and I waved him over.
The three of us huddled together. “I want to start by saying I am officially freaking out right now.” I looked at Sam. “Robby already knows this, but I found a hidden camera in Dad’s office this morning. I checked with Janet who informed me that he turned off all the security cameras some time ago. Is that right, Sam?”
“It was about six months after I started working for him. Yes. Apparently, he said it wasn’t necessary anymore, but we all knew it was to cut costs.”
“Perfect. That’s exactly what Janet said. So this camera in his office is new. And separate. And I just found the information on how to get access to it.”
“That’s what you went to get after the funeral?” Sam asked.
“Yes. I had a theory, and it turned out to be right. I had to know,” I said. Sam nodded and Robby smiled.
“So, after you do the rounds here and make sure Denise is okay, we’ll go review it,” Robby said.
I hesitated.
“What is it, Will?” Sam asked.
“Oh,” I said, snapping out of a trance. “It’s fine. I just need to prepare myself for seeing my father die on camera. And God knows what else.”
Chapter 20 – The Reception
As I made my way into the reception area, the only place I wanted to be was a casino. Before I became hooked on day-trading, my game of choice was blackjack. I became pretty adept at counting cards and knowing when to bet. My problem was, even though I knew when to leave the table, I never did. Ah, the life of a compulsive gambler. But even when I was losing, the blackjack table was where I felt most comfortable.
I certainly didn’t feel comfortable at the reception. With everything I found out about my father in the past few days, this seemed like a big waste of time. That said, half the city of Sandusky was present to honor the man, so I told myself to suck it up and deal with it.
The room was buzzing, groups of people seemed to be either laughing or crying. A heated discussion near the back drew my attention and I headed that direction. Uncle Dan with Alex and John Traynor. Uncle Dan was drunk. In all my years of knowing him, I’ve never seen him even slightly intoxicated in public.
“Thanks for coming, gentlemen,” I said.
Uncle Dan set his drink on the table and gave me a big bear hug. “Nice speech today, my boy,” he whispered loudly in my ear. He backed away. “I’m sorry, Will, but I have to go attend to a few matters.” He walked through the crowd and out the door, stumbling once along the way. Odd departure.
John Traynor cut in front of Alex, reaching out his right hand to me with his other hand on his walking stick.
“My deepest sympathies,” he said. “Your father and I did a lot of good in this town and he will be missed.”
Probably not missed by you. “Thanks,” I said.
He looked around while making sure Alex stayed behind him, blocking him with his cane. “I’ve been told that our offer has been delivered for your father’s funeral home. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there in person, but you know how committees can be.”
“Yes, thank you,” I said. “It is a very generous offer. It gives me a lot to think about.” I wanted nothing more than to tell him to fuck off, but selling the funeral home would take care of so many thing
s—Jess’s tuition most importantly—and give me a fresh start to live a life free of debt, scrubbing the previous sins of excessive gambling and poor decisions away.
“Alex here tells me you’re good with numbers. If that’s true, you know that the offer is more than fair value for Pollitt Funeral Home. We will take good care of it, while you manage certain financial issues on your end at the same time. Especially that daughter of yours. A win-win wouldn’t you say?”
He knows. He knows about everything. How embarrassing.
Mrs. Kromer from Uncle Dan’s office was coming from behind the Traynors. I reached out and shook John Traynor’s hand. “Thanks again for being here.”
I slid past both Traynors toward Mrs. Kromer. “Hello, Mrs. Kromer,” I said, hugging her.
“Honey, it’s Alice. I know it’s hard to get used to.”
“Of course. Alice,” I said. She was short, soft, and round and, outside of the gray hair and wrinkles, exactly the way I remembered her. The body odor was a bit much, but no one cares about BO with sweet old ladies.
A line was beginning to form behind her. Xena was next.
She was dressed in a thin black sweater that hung below the waist, with black tights and black boots that rose just above the ankle. At first glance, she looked a little too dressed up for a funeral and had more makeup on than when I had seen her at her restaurant.
Alice walked away, and Xena came up to hug me. She pressed her body against mine and then backed away as if something was wrong.
“Sorry. Mrs. Kromer has a bit of body odor going and left some for me,” I said.
“I thought it was a new type of cologne,” she said, and we both chuckled. “How are you holding up?”
“It’s been a long week. I’ll be happy when this is over. I could certainly use a few drinks tonight.”
