The next couple of days my parents and family arranged the Funeral and I walked down to the little cafe. There I sat in the outside chair, there I looked at the old place and saw the green paint had faded. It was like the cafe was gone with them, it made my heart heavy with pain, "Grandma and Grandpa are really gone." I said to myself right as a cousin of mine came around the corner, he saw I was looking at the paint closer at the door.
"Hey, Jacob is that you by the door?" My cousin asked me and I turned to him, I had a tear running down my face. "Oh, hey Jared it's been what three years since we've seen each other," I said to him and he put his right hand on my left shoulder, and he pulled me close hugging me. "I'm sorry for your loss, I hope the days to come are brighter than the last." After that, we talked for a while till I headed home to change into my suit for the Funeral.
I walked into the Garage to the left of my parent's home and saw my old black Harley motorcycle Grandpa and I built together. Dad came into the garage and saw me sitting on the bike, "Your brother finished it for you and it will run and drive, maybe you should take it to the funeral." He suggested to me and I smiled a little bit. I checked the gas tank then started the bike and it roared to life. Dad handed me a new helmet and I put it on, "I'll see you at the funeral home, Dad." I then drove off to the Funeral home.
Everyone who was in the building heard my bike and came out to see who it was, they all looked sad and that was understandable. I took off my helmet and went in with everyone, inside I saw a bunch of family and friends I haven't seen in a decade. I saw a couple of aunts and uncles come up to me and told me how sorry they were about the passing of my Grandparents. After a while, I got annoyed by people telling me that they were sorry for me.
I sat down in the middle row where the funeral was being held, there I heard the pastor began the service. I sat in silence for the proceedings, well for most of the service till I saw my parents began to cry. I looked around and saw many people were watching me closely, I believe they were seeing if I was going to cry. I think the reason for me not getting upset right at the moment was that I haven't come to terms with not seeing my grandparents anymore.
Then the Pastor spoke about their lives with them owning the little cafe down by the Willow tree. "These two wonderful people we are here for today to celebrate their life in this world. From my own experience going down by that little cafe, they've always treated everyone here like family. Whenever I had a bad moment in my life that cafe was a place I could go and wash my problems away. Now Granny Nina and David were the town's best-kept secret, they always had advice on just about everything in life. From working on cars to troubles at home to just everyday things, they truly cared about us and today I would ask for all of you to celebrate and share their teachings to the world and be kind to your neighbor."
The Pastor looked at me and then motioned for me to come up, this was unexpected but I eventually went up. Everyone looked at me and noticed I had not cried at all yet and this made some people mad at me. Then I gave my little speech about my Grandparents. "Hello everyone, I wasn't expecting to give a eulogy about my grandparents today so please forgive me." I cleared my throat then I spoke clearly to the people gathered in front of me. "My grandparents were my world, I spent endless summers working with them on the ranch and in the Cafe. I even learned how to make that coffee everyone seemed to like from Grandpa himself. They helped me find my passion in cooking and learn about the history of the world through books and stories. I remember the time when Grandpa found this old bike in the junkyard, Grandma told him not to buy it but we all know how that went. He brought it to the ranch where Grandma wouldn't find out and we worked on it when the Cafe was closed and after school."
I stopped for a moment then I started to tear up, "A couple of days ago I was sitting in the cafe near my school in Florida, thinking about home and them (My Grandparents.) The tea I was drinking was so bitter and the air was so sharp. When I went to leave that was when I got the messages from my parents who told me what had happened.." I cried for a brief moment then I gathered myself back up, then I stared at the people who had been watching me the whole time. "That's the second time I cried for them," I said and then I told them a little story about my Grandpa's wish whenever he wasn't here anymore.
"Do not stay sad or cry for me whenever you think about me and your grandmother when we are not here. Instead, smile for us and make us proud by following your dreams my boy, we followed ours and are happy with the life that we have lived there's no time for moping about." I smiled at that memory and when I looked up at the people listening I saw they understood why I held my tears back. It wasn't because I didn't care, no it was because I was following my Grandpa's wishes. I got down from the stage or whatever it was and I headed back to my seat. When I sat down I saw my brother was in the seat next to mine. "That was good brother, oh and it's good to see you as well, how's school going?" My little brother Bradley said to me as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders, "That bike you finished is nice too, I drove it here thank you, I'm sure Grandpa is happy to see it running" I said to Bradley and he just smiled at me as we listened to a couple more people talk about their time with my Grandparents.
I just wanted it to be done and it was about an hour later, after that we had lunch for everyone. I was about to enter the dining hall when an old fancy man dressed in black came up to me. "Sir my name is Jessie Lang, I'm in charge of your Grandparent's will and they have left something for you." He said to me as I shook his hand, as we walked into a room with my family, cousin Jared and his little brother Dom, my brother Bradley, my mom and dad with all my Aunts and Uncles. I sat near the rear of the room as the man in black spoke to all of us.
"We have a bit of stuff to go over so I have here everyone who's on the will, The two sets of brothers, Jacob, Jared, Bradley, and Dom have been given the biggest items on the list as the parents have received a share of the money left over by Nina and David." Jessie gave everyone our older cousins a piece of paper telling us of what we got from Grandma and Grandpa. Jared got all of Grandpa's Baseball memorabilia worth a small fortune, and his brother Dom got all the books they've collected that were the first collection of every old writer from the 18th and 19 centuries. Bradley was given Grandpa's entire tool set and old dodge he had at their home, now for me in the words from my Grandparents Jessie said to everyone. "Jacob M Hall is to be given our lovely little Cafe down by the Willow tree, as for the house that's for our children to decide."
Everyone turned to me and my Aunt Lacy looked absolutely pissed with me for getting the Cafe. Till that was when Jessie got angry for her trying to interrupt him as he wasn't down talking yet. He was wearing a hat and when Lacy through her little fit upset the flow of the room. "Jacob under no circumstances shall lose his right to own the inherited cafe because of Lacy being greedy. My clients your beloved Nina and David had debated over who shall receive that cafe, so they chose Jacob because of one reason." Jessie stopped for a moment and then told us why I was selected to receive the Cafe. "From him being the only person in the family to work there besides a few of you being the three other boys. Jacob wants to follow in what we taught him, making people happy and teaching others a thing or two about kindness and love."
After a couple of hours of Lacy and the family yelling at her for making a scene at the funeral, I went outside with my brother and cousins. All four of us sat on the bench and said nothing to each other, then I spoke up about my guilt of getting the bigger part of the will. "Guys I am sorry for being the one that got the Cafe," I said and all three guys looked at me and they all smiled right as Jared said. "Well, we can't cry over that no can we, not like what Lacy did, plus that cafe wasn't my thing, right guys? My brother and Dom both shook their heads, "Yes I agree with brother, we are more cars, books, and sports, you've always been that man who loves to make people smile even in hard times."
I laughed with them right as we watched the sun go down over the hill, as we looked around we saw Easton was still the same as ever. The streets were still the same old blacktop they laid in 2000 the old clock tower be city hall could be seen from everywhere in town. You could hear the river running based the town and don't even get us started on the farm, not far from here where Amy lives. You can smell it when they spray manure on the fields in the spring, nothing is like home not even a memory of home.