Jimmy stared out the window as the world rolled by. His head was pressed against the glass. He gazed at nothing in particular while he wrestled with the ‘realness’ of what he learned that day.
“Not a bad ceremony, all things considered,” Jimmy’s dad, James, said from the driver’s seat. The car rolled to a stop at an intersection; Jimmy kept his eyes on the pedestrians crossing the street and holding hands. “If I were gonna go; there are worse ways,” he said with a light chuckle.
“I’m sorry about Daryl, honey,” Jimmy’s mom, Gina, chimed in; after she elbowed James in the ribs. His parents were dressed as formally as him for the occasion. Jimmy refocused his attention out the window. The day wasn’t a surprise, he’d known about it for a while. But, he wasn’t prepared for how heavy everything felt when he woke that morning. Even the simple act of getting dressed was slowed by the enormous weight of his black blazer. His tie began strangling him as soon as he spotted the priest; he yanked it off as soon as they got back in the car for the ride home.
“I don’t get why it has to happen,” Jimmy sighed; his breath fogged up the glass.
“It’s not for us to know, honey,” Gina said. “God has her ways; she has a reason for the curse. You know, at least we can’t say she didn’t tell us about it.”
“Not that,” Jimmy replied with a subtle whine.
“Oh,” Gina replied. Now that she knew what he meant; she didn’t have an answer for him.
“That’s not for us to know either,” James said as the car accelerated again. “You’ll never know what goes on in someone else’s mind. It’s more peaceful not to try; you’ll end up adding your own insecurities into whatever you imagine.”
“It’s just selfish,” Jimmy complained.
“It is a selfish act,” James said. “But, we’ll never know what mental gymnastics they did to get there. They probably don’t either. All we can do is focus on our family and hope for the best; and, show them support when we can. It’s their decision to make.”
“But what about Daryl!?” Jimmy leaned forward on his seat and stuck his head between the two front seats to look at his dad; James kept his eyes on the road.
“The older you get, the more you recognize how little of your life you actually control,” James said; the car slowed as they turned right. “So, the best thing you can do is learn what you can control, and do that really well.”
“God’s Curse aside, you never know when a plane is going to fall on you. Your death,” James turned and faced Jimmy. “Daryl’s…. they can happen at any time. Enjoy what you can while you can. Worrying about why other people are doing something stupid isn’t enjoyable.” The car slowed to a stop. “Alright, hurry up,” he smiled at his son. Jimmy nodded then exited the car.
“I can’t believe they did it, even after all the proof. I mean, GOD! Ms. Sharp herself came down from the heavens to tell us about this curse…,” she shook her head. “And people still go through with it.” Gina glanced out the window and saw Jimmy leaving a brown two-story house carrying a backpack. His best friend Daryl walked next to him carrying a small suitcase and the boys were talking animatedly.
“Yeah,” James nodded. “Although, as far as events go; it wasn’t a bad wedding. I hope their honeymoon is nice enough to keep them married.”
