I can’t really say that I’ve been to a funeral quite like my aunt’s.

There were multiple people I didn’t know, but that’s okay.    I generally don’t know anyone during family gatherings, but I really didn’t know anyone in this one.   It mostly comprised of my aunt’s co-workers and a few people from her deceased husband’s side of the family – none of which I could recall meeting before.

Mom and I sat in this little waiting room.   She was drinking coffee.  We were people watching, trying to guess who someone could be by a passing comment from my aunt made years ago.  No one bothered us and I showed her some features on her new Samsung.   She’d never had a phone like that before.   – I’m proud of her for jumping the generation technical gap.

The people where – interesting.
One older woman – probably somewhere in her fifties.  (Can I consider her ‘old’ when I’m 40+.  Yikes.)    She wore a glittery pink and black shirt from Victoria Secret.  Some teenager I never saw before graced us with his presence by wearing a badly stained red jogging suit.  Some people dressed nice.   Good slacks and a non-tattered shirt, but those were in the minority.  Where did the respect for the dead go?   If not that, people dress to avoid being gossiped about an make a personal statement.   I don’t know if I want to know what a silvery ‘Think Pink” shirt says on a day of supposed mourning.

After a while, I wondered into this room.   It’s the dreaded room that has a lot of uncomfortable chairs all in neat little rows.   At the very front, where a casket should be, sat a medium wood coloured box.  A white angel figurine was magnetically attached.  To the left, there was a couple of flower arrangements, one of which looked like it was bought at the local grocery store.  It had withered blooms and all.    The room lacked the traditional white candles and cards.   Since she was cremated, I expected scrolling pictures on the hanging televisions or around the box, but no.    A couple of pictures appeared later, but not until the eulogy actually started.

More time passed.
—   And more..   and more.

Eventually, my cousin (aunt’s son) decides to show.   He was about half an hour late, if not more, and wore a badly wrinkled shirt that was obviously slept in.  Some random person said my cousin would be late to his own funeral. —  A disrespectful comment, I thought.   Another claimed that he does nothing but Facebook and watch movies late in the night.  Attending his mother’s funeral at noon was a stretch.  —  Another poorly worded comment.

However, everyone lined up just the same for hugs and, in my case, to introduce myself in case my cousin had forgotten who I was.  People who where once sniping became suddenly friendly and that’s about when mom and I left.

I had assignments to grade and mom had another engagement that evening.   The funeral’s late start and 6+ hour round trip drive didn’t encourage us to stay.    Mom passed my cousin a sympathy card with some money and off we went.

I really wish I could say that I felt some closure or a life epiphany, but that didn’t happen at all.  It just seemed like a boring day trip that ended with a Cracker Barrel dinner.  It certainly wasn’t memorable.

At least I’ll have my little note here to remind me of what happened in case anyone ever asks.

It’s just a sad ending to a life.