Summer Surprise Pt. 04

Chloe went up to the podium. Tears were already running down her face, though she wasn't sobbing.

"Hello everyone. My name is Chloe Hamilton, and the reason I'm speaking to you today, is Monica was my fiancée. She was the love of my life, the woman I wanted to spend every waking moment with. I didn't know her as long as the rest of you did. I had less than one year with Monica, but it was the best year of my life. She was the sun during the day, the stars at night, the whispering wind, the tender kiss, the soft caress. She was the reason I wanted to get up in the morning, just for the opportunity to spend another magical day with her.

"As college students, we didn't have a ton of money, so instead of getting engagement rings, we got matching spoon rings until we could afford something better." Chloe held up her hand, showing everyone the ring on her finger. "This ring will always remain on me in some fashion to remind me of Monica. Hers will be buried with her. I'd like to tell you a little about the Monica I knew.

"Monica discovered her sexual identity sooner than I did. She was still in high school. Despite coming out as a lesbian, she was still popular because it was impossible not to love her. Ask any of the people who knew her. I didn't learn about myself until I was in college, and there were some awfully rough spots for me during my first year, but I had some good friends who helped get me through it. Because of the problems I had, I decided to promote tolerance in the only way that I knew, through theater. The first show I put on was 'My Gay Bashing Experiences in College'. It was a series of vignettes about what had happened to me in college as a lesbian woman. Apparently, my title was not sufficiently clear. Monica didn't know if I was bashing gays, or being bashed as gay, so she came to speak with me after a performance.

"The thing is, Monica promoted LGBTQ rights at La Crosse, where she attended school, and at other schools in Wisconsin. So she came by to set me straight if I hated gays. It was the start of not only an incredible friendship, but a love affair of Romeo and Juliet proportions. Monica didn't hate anyone. She didn't argue with anyone. She was empathy and light and understanding and love. I couldn't get angry at her for more than a second. The strange thing is, the person who killed Monica, if he'd known her for more than five minutes, he'd have loved her too."

Chloe was starting to get a little choked up and her words more difficult to form.

"Unfortunately, no one else will ever get to meet Monica, and learn to love her as I did, because her life was torn from us by someone who was somehow so offended by people of a nonconforming gender identity - who as far as the police can tell, never did anything to him - he had to kill as many of them as he could by driving a truck into a crowd of peaceful protestors, which included little children, and shooting others until he was killed. I don't know where such hate comes from. I don't understand it. It was the antithesis of everything Monica Franklin lived for, stood for, and finally died for.

"The sad thing is, Monica died that day without me with her. I was working on a new show, so I didn't attend the Madison rally with her. It is one of the deepest regrets of my life I wasn't beside her, supporting her. The show I was working on will never be seen. It's not important anymore, so it's like I wasted that moment of my life not being alongside her that day. Instead of that show, Monica's story will be told.

"Monica Franklin was the best person I knew and she will always have a little piece of my heart. There will be a Memorial service for all of those killed in Madison on April 15 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison this Monday at one PM. I am going to be there and I can promise you, the whole world is going to know who Monica Franklin was and what she stood for. If you loved Monica Franklin as I did, please come and show your support for everyone she fought and died for. Thank you."

The whole room was weeping when Chloe stepped away from the podium. She hugged Monica's parents, her grandparents, her siblings, sobbing the whole time, unable to hold it together any longer. When she finally took her seat, Dianne put her arms around her and let her cry it out. The minster stood up and finished the service with the 23rd Psalm. He didn't have dry eyes either. He ended by telling everyone where the internment was to be held in ninety minutes.

The limousine was quite the sob fest as it rolled with the funeral procession through the outskirts of Milwaukee to the cemetery where Monica would be buried. Chloe was sitting between Matt and Dianne holding both their hands. It was roughly a forty minute drive to the cemetery. Vehicles kept arriving for many minutes after their limousine stopped, there were so many people attending. They got out of the vehicle and somberly made their way to the gravesite where the casket was mounted on a motorized gadget to lower it into the ground.

As they stood at the gravesite, more people filing in until there were close to a hundred people there. The skies were gray, the wind brisk, blowing from the East over Lake Michigan. On a table, there was a large number of yellow and white roses from which people could pick one and throw it down on the coffin after it was lowered into the ground. Chloe was given an entire bouquet of two dozen red roses. She kept one for herself and threw the others on the coffin. Matt suspected Ethel was responsible for these flowers as well as the those at the funeral home.

Ethel was a good person and Matt was glad his mother found someone to make her happy. They stood together, holding hands, heads bowed. Elaine and Beth just behind them, similarly solemn. The mourners finished throwing the roses onto the casket.

The minister stood at the gravesite, continuing, "In the gospel of St. John, Jesus said, 'I AM the resurrection and the life, saith the Lord: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.'

"Job said, 'I KNOW that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another.

"In his epistle to Timothy, Paul said, 'WE brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.'

"FOR as much as it hath pleased Almighty God of his great mercy to take unto himself the soul of our dear sister, here departed: we therefore commit her body to the ground;" throwing a handful of dirt on the coffin, "earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in sure and certain hope of the Resurrection to eternal life, through our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall change our vile body, that it may be like unto his glorious body, according to the mighty working, whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself."

Chloe started sobbing again and turned into Matt and Dianne who held her close as she was torn with grief.

"I've managed to get through this so far because I've been too busy to think, to feel," Chloe whispered. "I hope I can get through the long days and longer nights once this is over."

"You will, Chloe," Matt said. "We'll hold you up. Eventually, you'll be okay."

******

The trip back to Madison was subdued. Ethel said, "The Franklin's have a lot of family in town right now. They don't feel they can come to Madison until Monday so they can spend time with them, but they did say they would be there for sure. They gave the driver a bag, Chloe, and said it was for you. It's in the trunk. Do you know what it is?"

"Some stuff I need for the Memorial, pictures and what not. Things belonging to Monica."

Ethel nodded. "The flight to Madison will be even shorter than the one from La Crosse. We'll probably spend more time in holding patterns to land than flying from place to place."

"How did you get here since we had the plane?" Dianne asked.

"Hired a helicopter. Not quite as comfortable, but it's a short trip. Wouldn't hold all of us for the trip back and we still need to get the plane to Madison. How are you doing, Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton."

"Pretty miserable," Ben said. "Not only was my daughter devastated by Monica's death, but I realize what bastards Mary Jane and I were when Chloe came out. She had to depend on friends to get her through all the shit she went through because she couldn't depend on us. Matt was a better parent to her than we were. I'm surprised she still speaks to us; that she brought Monica home to meet us. Why couldn't we have been like the Franklins who had to good grace to accept their daughter's sexual identity."

Mary Jane squeezed his hand.

"Why did you have a problem accepting it?" Ethel asked. "I'm asking because I'm concerned what my family will say. I guess it doesn't matter if you're fifteen or fifty, you worry about acceptance."

"It was stupid really. I had no brothers or sisters to have children. An older brother died in Vietnam. I'm like the only one to carry on the family name. Then I only have a daughter, so the family name is going to end, but at least the Hamilton genes would go through Chloe, except she doesn't like men, so I'm thinking even that will end. No more Hamilton blood for the rest of existence. Then Monica offers to carry one of Chloe's eggs, bring a baby into the world who still has some of the Hamilton genetic material in her. Now Monica is gone. Even that hope is dashed. The whole thing was selfish really. I wasn't thinking about Chloe, I was thinking about me."

"Well, I'm past my child bearing years, and William's wife had a girl and they're talking about another child, and my youngest brother has two kids, one male and one female, so I guess I don't have to worry about rejection for that reason," Ethel said. "The family name will continue through one or the other unless there's some misfortune."

"Chloe shouldn't have had to turn to others for acceptance. We should have been there for her. Now she turns to others when she has a problem, and I don't blame her. We fucked up. We haven't even seen a single one of her shows. I'll bet all of you have. Have you?"

Nobody said anything. "Just what I thought."

"They're all closer to La Crosse than you," Chloe said.

"That's a pitiful excuse. We're not thousands of miles away. We're like two hundred miles away. I feel like a disgrace as a father."

"I'll agree you haven't been the father I wanted for the last four years, but the first eighteen weren't that bad. Let's say you've been resting on your laurels for a little too long. You started coming through. You were going to pay for my wedding. And as for seeing one of my shows, you're going to see one on Monday, Dad. Because it won't be just a Memorial. This is a scripted production.

"After Dianne and Matt started dating, we started movie nights. The first movie Matt picked out was 'Love Story'. If you haven't seen it, it's a totally schmaltzy movie that blatantly tugged on your heartstrings to make you cry. I'm not just going to tug on your heartstrings, I'm going to rip them from your fucking body. If there is one fucking dry eye left in that stadium on Monday, I won't have done my job. I want everyone there to bleed. I want them to remember Monica's name until the day they fucking die. Sorry, Mrs. Sanders."

"Quite all right, dear. I'll give you pass on those."

"What the hell have you got planned, Chloe?" Mary Jane asked.

"You'll see soon enough. Everyone will see."

As Ethel said, the flight was pretty brief. They were pulling into Ethel's home by seven PM.

"Mary Jane and Ben. Since the Franklins won't be here, why don't you take the guest house so you can have some privacy. I'll have your bags sent there. We've got dinner waiting at the moment, so come in and eat first. I think comfort food is good for days like these. I've got pot roast with strawberry-rhubarb pie for dessert."

Chloe held Matt's and Dianne's sleeves for the moment, letting the others get ahead of them.

"As you might guess, I'd like some company tonight. It's going to be a hard night for me. It doesn't need to be sexual company, but I need someone with me. I think Ethel helped in that regard by sending my parents to the guest house. I'm not sure if I'd be comfortable if they were in the house."

"Whatever you need, Chloe. We're here for you," Matt said.

"Before I commit to both of you, I'd like to check with Elaine first. I feel guilty I was so selfish the last time I was here. It may be she doesn't particularly care to have female company anyway, but I want to be sure. She hasn't had sex since Matt, so it's been a while for her."

"Wow, that's approaching my territory," Dianne said. "That's fine. We're good either way."

Chloe kissed them both. "Thanks, peeps."

They went into the house and Chloe sat between her parents for dinner, Matt and Dianne sitting beside Georgina, and next to his sisters on the other side. It was a delicious meal. Small red potatoes and carrots cooked with the pot roast with onions and celery for flavor with a domestic red wine.

"So Mom," Matt said, "how exactly did you and Ethel meet?"

"And does it involve sex?" Marty said.

"Not until the fourth date," Georgina said. "You really are a pervert, Martin."

"Oh, oh," Marty laughed. "Only my mother calls me Martin, and only when she's pissed."

"I sure hope you're not asking your mother about her sex life."

"Not yet. Yours is so much more interesting. So what's the story?"

"I'm working at this fine establishment, top of the line, upper crust, expensive restaurant, as a waitress, and Ethel comes in to eat one day. All by herself, no partner, no ring, and I'm a little bit curious. You very rarely see anyone dine alone there. It's either a couple, or two couples, or a business meeting. Usually, if you're dining alone, you go to cheaper places and not some place where you're going to drop a Benjamin on a meal for yourself."

"Ooh, ooh, I know what a Benjamin is," Dianne said. "A hundred dollars. Elaine told me."

"Anyway, she's obviously attractive. Just look at her. I think to myself, why is that classy lady eating out by herself. A broken date, some special occasion. In town on business, but looking for a quiet evening. I don't really say anything to her, it not really being polite to pry. She leaves me a nice tip. As an experienced waitress, I know you want to keep track of the big tippers, pay attention to them. A week later, she's back again, still no date, still dining alone, dressed to the nines. She should have someone on her arm, I think. It's a darn shame someone so nice should be alone. What little interaction I have with her is pleasant, and she leaves me another nice tip."

"Do you just love me for my money?" Ethel asked.

"Of course, dear. Why else would I be with an old hag like you," Georgina said, before giving her a kiss. "Well, your money, your boobs and your delicious snatch."

Marty snorted, wine coming out of his nose, and everyone else laughed.

"A week later, she's back, still no date. Obviously not there for business; never anyone else to conduct business with. My curiosity is really burning now. She's spending a hundred or more dollars a week on a lonely dinner for herself. There were times I fed a family of five on a hundred dollars a week. Obviously she had money, but why this restaurant, week after week. I started to get a little nosy. 'Hello, ma'am, will anyone be joining you tonight?' 'No, I'm here by myself.' 'I notice you're not wearing a wedding ring. No husband?"

"No husband."

By this time, my own experiences with Laverne and Chloe, had educated me to the fact that there are some people in this world who may not be interested in men. Fine, I understand that. But a woman like this, if she's into women, should have a woman. You shouldn't be parked on a shelf somewhere. She should be doing things and going places, not eating dinner by herself. So I ask politely, 'Would there be a woman in your life?' She looks up at me and says, 'No woman either.' She looks at the wedding ring on my finger. 'It appears you're married, why all the questions?'

"I explained that I was in the process of getting divorced, but I'd need to cut the ring off my finger as I couldn't get it over my knuckle, and to be honest, it kept people from flirting with me too much. I'd just rediscovered a daughter I thought I'd lost many years before and had another teenager at home who I worried about and given what had happened with my husband, wasn't really looking for male companionship anyway.

"Ethel looks at me with those beautiful blue eyes and in a soft voice asks, 'What about female companionship?' When she said that, I hadn't been thinking of any kind of companionship, but as soon as she said it, I could feel a nice tingle in my lady bits, remembering good old Laverne. I felt like she'd been expecting a negative reaction when she asked the question. Not getting one, but still not getting an answer, she put her hand over mine and said, 'With the right person, I wouldn't be dining alone like this.' When she put her hand over mine, it felt like 5000 volts of electricity flowed through my body and I'll admit to being slightly aroused by it.

"'Who would be the right person?' I asked. She stroked the top of my hand a couple times. I swear, I almost orgasmed on the spot. 'Do you have any plans?' Ethel said. Shoving my face in your pussy is what I was thinking, dripping myself. I said, 'I'm sorry' and Ethel thought I was going to say no. She got this disappointed look on her face which I was thrilled to see. 'I can't tonight, but I'd be free on Wednesday. It's my day off.'

Ethel got this huge smile on her face. I was also thrilled to see that. 'Shall I pick you up at six, or would you like to meet me somewhere." Again, I'm thinking, between your thighs, but this is still a high class restaurant. 'Six would be lovely. Here's my number, please give me a call and I'll give you directions, but not to eat here please. Perhaps Italian.' 'What's your name?' 'Georgina, what's yours?' 'Ethel.' Anyway, that's how we met. Yolanda, can you put your hand in Marty's lap and tell me if he has a boner yet?"

Yolanda stuck her hand on Marty's lap. "Definitely."

Georgina and Ethel laughed and Ethel leaned over for a nice, mushy, wet kiss.

"It's throbbing," Yolanda reported.

"Is that really how you met?" Marty asked.

"Definitely," Georgina replied.

"If you were so hot to trot just getting asked out, why did it take four dates to have sex?"

"It didn't" Georgina said. "I lied. We were licking each other on the first date."

"Oh, man," Marty said. "You're bad."

Everyone laughed again.

Beth said, "I wonder if I can get Marty to cum by kissing my sister?"

"Probably," Yolanda reported, her hand in Marty's lap still. "He's perverted enough to get off on it."

"You're not helping matters any by rubbing my crotch."

Chloe stood up, "I still have some things I need to work on. I think I'm heading to bed." She bent over to whisper in Elaine's ear, rubbing Elaine's breast as she did. Elaine nodded.

"Thar she blows," Yolanda said. "We have lift off."

"Have fun changing your pants, Marty," Chloe said, smiling. "Where am I sleeping tonight, Ethel?"

"Same place you slept on Tuesday."

"You guys are just cruel," Marty said.

"You're just horny," Yolanda said.

"I'm pretty bushed myself," Matt said. "I didn't get a ton of sleep last night. Can I help you with the dishes, Ethel?"

"The servants will take care of it. I'll show you and Dianne to your room."

"Good, as I didn't get a ton of sleep last night either," Dianne said. "Good night, all."