T W O

Funeral

Today was coach Buzzers funeral, June had her headphones in listening to music on her iPod.

Marcus tapped her arm, "We're here." He said

She stopped her music and wrapped the headphones around the iPod and put it in the cup holder and got out and followed her dad.

"What? No, no. No cell phones." They heard Lenny say

"Wait, no cell phones? Then I'm out of here." Marcus said

"Higgie!" Lenny smiled and walked over to him

"Who's ready to get their funeral on?" Marcus sung and did a dance. June looked at her dad confused, "I'm sorry, death makes me weird."

"What's up, McKenzie?" Marcus and Kurt hugged "You got those soft hands. Still using Palmolive?"

"Hey, what's up, Lenny?" Marcus and Lenny hugged "Buddy, I thought you were going to start working out."

"What does that mean?" Lenny asked "Um, you're fat." Marcus shrugged and laughed "No. Hey, guys, this is good news. I always wanted to represent you. You're the third Olsen twin?" Lenny joked back with him.

June snorted out a laugh, "oh! Hey, this is my pride and joy." Marcus pulled June over to introduce her, "My lovely daughter, June."

June smiled and waved a little at them, "Hey."

"Hey, so these are your kids?" Marcus asked pointing at them. Lenny nodded

June looked over and saw a familiar face "Jackson?"

"You know my son?" Lenny asked looking between them, "June?" Jackson walked over

"Is this the boy you've been texting?" Marcus asked his daughter.

She never actually showed him a picture since She had only been texting Jackson for about a week or two.

June nodded, "Yeah."

"Small world right?" Lenny grinned at the teenagers. He had been watching Jackson text someone a lot. And like Marcus, Lenny didn't actually know who she was. But Jackson was smiling a lot more recently because of her.

He and Roxanne had just been calling her 'mystery girl'.

"Hey." June smiled at Jackson nervously

"Hey." He smiled back

June looked away nervously. She didn't think she'd meet Jackson in person ever. Well, at least not for a few years and definitely not this quick.

"Didn't expect to meet you here." June smiled, "i was just texting you in the car." She said nervously

Jackson chuckled softly at her nervous behaviour.

"June."

"Jackson."

They looked over at their fathers

"Come on we're going inside." Marcus said

June hurriedly walk over and went inside hating how nervous she was. They had talked on the phone at night and she wasn't nervous talking to him then but it's like looking into his eyes made her forget everything she knew about herself. Every thought just fell out of her head.

~🌻~

Everyone was in their seats in the church waiting for the funeral to start.

"It was nice of us to. It's your money too, isn't it?" Lenny said to Roxanne

They were talking about the lake house Lenny had rented for the weekend.

Marcus leaned forward pushing his head between the two of them, "Yeah, it's your money, it's his money, it's my money. Let's put all our cash in a pile and split it." he laughed and then looked at Roxanne's hat, "That's a nice hat, it brings out the death in the room."

"Dad." June hit his arm, "I'm sorry, I'm nervous. And it's a funeral, I get weird." Marcus said and sat back.

Jackson who was beside his mom looked at Marcus amused and then looked at June. She smiled and shrugged as if saying 'That's my dad's normal behaviour.'

The pastor walked up, "Coach Robbert "The Buzzer" Ferdinando, was a caretaker by profession. What a wonderful word that is to describe his devotion to his fellow man." Everyone settled down and looked forward

"He truly took care. When Robert knew that his time was short, he told me there was one specific man that he wanted to say a few words to memorialize him. So I'd like to ask Lenny Feder to come up now." The pastor said

Lenny got up and walked to the front, "I'm sorry, I'm not prepared at all. I feel very honoured that coach asked me to do this, but, I also feel terrible because I haven't seen the coach in so long. And he always wanted me to come to town to see him, and, I got caught up in what I've been doing, and I regret it."

After a short silence Lenny spoke up again, " I understand that the St. Marks team of 1978 was the only championship team that the coach ever had, and, that's very impressive. I gotta say judging from the talent we had to offer I mean, believe it or not Robbie and Marcus were actually shorter back in 1978" Lenny joked

Everyone laughed, " yeah, but those guys had a skill you never mastered. They knew how to pass the ball." Eric said making everyone laugh again

"Looks like somebody has to learn how to pass the Kentucky fried chicken." Lenny joked back making everyone laugh harder

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. We're saying goodbye to a big part of our lives. All of us. You affected everybody in this room. I hope we get to live our lives like you. Have no regrets when life's final buzzer sounds. Let's all bow our heads in silence." Lenny finished

~🌻~

After a couple more people spoke Rob got up and started singing Ave Maria.

June watched with a small smile amused. Her eyes widen when she saw him pic up a picture of Coach Buzzer.

"Is that not disrespectful?" June whisper to her dad, "Very." Marcus swallowed a laugh.

Rob walked over to a statue and started singing to it. June covered her mouth and laugh softly.

Her laugh made Lenny and Marcus start laughing harder.

Rob ended kneeling down on one knee. Marcus cupped his hand around his mouth and made a buzzer noise.

Everyone laughed, "Grow up, will you?" Rob look at Marcus

"Oh, look at him now." Lenny laughed "Don't get so mad Robbie."

~🌻~

Everyone was at the reception after the funeral.

"Uh dad." June walked over with a concerned look on her face and handed him the water he asked for, "I think your friend, Rob is touching his mother in a way he shouldn't be." She pointed to Rob who was rubbing Gloria's shoulder but in a more intimate way

Eric, Lenny, and Kurt let out a laugh, "uh, Sweetheart that is his wife." Marcus told her amused

"His wife? Are you sure? Is that legal?" She asked Marcus smiled amused, "Yes it's legal."

"If you say so." June mumbled and walked away.

She walked over and got a piece of cake. "Hey, you." She turned and smiled

"Hey." She was way less nervous around Jackson now that she was before the funeral.

Jackson reached around her and grabbed one of the places with the already cut pieces on it, "It's weird our fathers turned out to be friends, right? Like who would've thought." June chuckle softly

"I know you were the last person I thought I'd see today." Jackson smiled "And now I guess we'll be spending the next couple days together cause of the lake house your parents rented for everyone."

Jackson's smile widen at the thought of spending a couple days with her.

Lenny and Marcus were watching the two talk, "Ah, look at those two." Lenny smiled and pointed to the teenagers

"Yeah, our kids. She's been so happy the last couple of weeks cause of him." Marcus nodded watch June laugh at something Jackson said

"Same with Jackson. He's been through a lot this school year. He had been on the bench most of the season cause he was a freshman. And then he barely passed and made it to sophomore year." Lenny told Marcus with a frown.

He was worried about his son in school. All freshman year he was either outside practicing basketball, or in his room studying.

"I'm glad they met. I think they'll be good for each other." Lenny added

Marcus nodded, "You understand if he breaks my little girls heart, I'll have to kick his ass."

"Yeah." Lenny nodded laughing a little