Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: Expose (08/22/13)
-
TITLE: Red Lips and Potato Chips | Previous Challenge Entry
By
08/27/13 -
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
SEND A PRIVATE COMMENT
ADD TO MY FAVORITES
The funeral director, Mr. Monroe, continues to talk as we go down the long hallway to the casket room. I still find it difficult that my slap hazard mother picked out everything for her funeral. When Daddy died, she was a mess trying to figure it all out and eventually the burden fell on me. I guess she didn’t want me to have to go through that again when she died.
“Now, as you see here, she selected a mahogany casket from our ‘Imperial Series’. The interior is lined with rich velvet in ‘Restful Red’ and is embroidered with a rose.”
He continues to tell me about the casket’s features with such flair that he reminds of one of those girls on a TV game show that smiles and presents potential prizes to be won.
“I wonder why Mom picked this casket over the others. It is a dark and masculine choice. Mom was always so feminine that I am sure she would have preferred a white casket with pink lining.” I checked Mr. Monroe’s visage to see if I had caught him off guard in his presentation but he did not flinch.
“Oh, she said you might wonder. Let me show you why before we move on to the flower room.”
I ease closer to the casket and bend down to see where Mr. Monroe is pointing his long skinny finger and there under the lid is a secret compartment. He slides out the drawer of the compartment and it is subdivided into smaller compartments.
“What is that for?” I ask.
He flips through several pages on his clip board and begins to read, “This hiding place is for the things I love most. I’d like it if my daughter and her children would each put one item in my casket that reminds them of me and me of them.” He pauses while I soak up what he just said.
“That’s different. I’ll get with the children and we will bring something back tomorrow with her dress and jewelry, is that ok?”
Mr. Monroe flips another page and begins to read again, “My daughter will want to put pink lipstick on me but please tell her that I only want red, Fire Station No.1 Red to be exact. Also, my dress needs to be a complimentary color, like green.”
I am completely befuddled by this statement since Mom never wore red lipstick and I don’t know if she owns anything green but it was her request, so I just nod in understanding. As I walk towards the flower room behind the funeral director and his assistant, I think about how mom’s funeral is going to look like Christmas and wonder what we will put in her fancy little hiding place.
The next day, the children and I return to the funeral home to meet Mr. Monroe again. I introduce the children and we all go into a small room and sit around a glass covered conference table. He smiles and inquires of the items that each of us brought to put in Mom’s casket.
“Well, I brought a pendant that I gave her for Mother’s Day one year. She said it was a favorite but the chain broke and she never wore it again.” I placed the small gold pendant in his open palm.
“I brought a silver dollar she gave me for my tenth birthday.” My son, Riley puts the shiny coin on the table.
“Now, what about you little lady?” Mr. Monroe smiles at Rena, my youngest.
Rena sits there with her hands in her lap. She is smiling hugely when she lays on the table one perfectly round and golden potato chip.
My critical instincts begin to rear their ugly head to tell my sweet toddler she can’t put a potato chip in her Nana’s coffin but I bite my lip and smile back instead. I tell her I have a better idea.
The next day is Mom’s funeral. It is an open casket and I stand next to her with her flaming red lips and chuckle every time someone asks about the bag of chips in her hands. Rena beams with delight and I know Mom would be proud of me. It seems Mom has exposed me to a woman I didn’t know in both her and myself. Thanks, Mom.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be right now. CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
Fantastic story...This will do well with the judges!
God bless~
Congratulations! God bless~
Wing His Words