We soon flew to the location of the funeral in Massachusetts. After arriving and checking into a nearby hotel, we drove to the church.
Upon arrival, I noticed a considerable number of people already there. Coach Carter seemed to be very popular.
I stayed with Keithie and Greg.
Soon, Lenny started talking to the first person, a middle-aged Black man with two kids around mine and Keithie's age.
While Lenny spoke with their dad, Greg, Keithie and I approached them. Becky stayed in the car with Rita.
"Hi, guys. Who are you?" Keithie asked curiously.
"Hi, I'm Charlotte and this is my brother, Andre," the girl introduced herself.
"I'm Gabriel Dunphy, and these two are Greg Feder and Keithie Feder," I introduced us.
"You're not brothers?" Andre asked curiously.
"No, but we're related," I clarified.
Soon after, we all started a conversation, discussing interesting things about their parents.
After a while, a white Cadillac pulled up, and the driver greeted Lenny.
"It looks like another friend of our parents," Andre remarked.
In the Cadillac were two other children: a boy about Becky's age and a girl around our age, who was a bit heavier.
The girl soon came over and introduced herself as Donna Lamonsoff.
We all talked for a while until it was time for the church service to begin. We entered the church and sat with the people we came with. The church was packed; some people couldn't even get inside because it was full.
Coach Carter must have been very popular.
The church service started, a typical funeral proceeding. Everything went as expected. What surprised me was Lenny giving a speech in front of everyone.
Afterward, another person, who seemed to be another friend of Lenny, came to the front and sang something for his coach.
He wasn't a great singer and exaggerated his gestures, turning what should have been touching into something comical.
"Five dollars says he kneels down," Lenny, who was near me, said to his friend behind him. The friend accepted the bet.
Sure enough, at the end of his song, the guy actually knelt down.
Lenny easily won the five dollars.
Someone in the crowd then imitated the beep of a basketball clock, causing everyone to laugh.
After the funeral, everyone gathered in a nearby garden and ate together.
After eating, all the kids, including me, played some fun games. It may have been childish compared to my usual activities, but it was refreshing. I never really got to enjoy my childhood due to always learning new things.
When the garden party ended, we all drove to a wooden house near a lake that Lenny had rented.
Arriving there, I was impressed. It wasn't luxurious, but it had a beautiful natural vibe.
We all gathered near the entrance of the house.
"What's that?" Becky asked, pointing at a bug zapper.
"That's a bug zapper. It attracts insects with UV light and then kills them instantly with 2000 to 4000 volts of electricity," I explained to Becky.
"They're getting killed?!" Becky, Charlotte, and Andre exclaimed.
"No, no, it's a toned-down version. They're just put to sleep," Lenny hurriedly explained as he disconnected the zapper from the power.
"Oh," Charlotte said, relieved.
"Ooh, a porch swing!" Andre's grandmother exclaimed, pushing Keithie aside, causing him to fall like a doll. It made me let out a little laugh unintentionally.
After that, we all went inside. The house was nicely decorated with a cozy living room and kitchen.
In the living room, there was even an old piano. The piano was an instrument I had learned, and I could even call it my favorite.
Soon, Lenny's friend Rob, who looked like a hippie, showed us around the house. He had an older wife named Gloria. At first, I thought she was his mother.
The first room they showed us was the master bedroom, very spacious.
Originally designated for Lenny and Roxanne, Lenny gave it to all the kids.
We all rushed in and looked around.
Everyone wanted to sleep by the window, including me. So I suggested something.
"Let's play Rock, Paper, Scissors. Winner gets the bed by the window."
"Yeah," everyone agreed, and we started playing.
I beat them easily. They were just kids, no match for my intellect. I secured the spot effortlessly.
"Unfair," Keithie pouted. We had developed quite a friendship, and he knew I was pretty smart.
It didn't matter; the bed was already mine.
I quickly laid out my things on the bed and settled in comfortably.
Afterward, I went outside with one of the books I had brought and started reading while lying in a chair.
The book was "Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid" by Douglas Hofstadter. It's a Pulitzer-winning book exploring concepts of mathematics, art, and artificial intelligence through the lenses of logician Kurt Gödel, artist M.C. Escher, and composer Johann Sebastian Bach.
It's a fascinating read.
I leisurely read the book, enjoying the warm sun shining down on me.