Just Try It

Chapter 68- A Birthday for My Brother

Sunday, February 19th 10:00AM

Border Hills Cemetery

Moe was right. In less that fifteen minutes they had arrived and found a place to park. As she gathered her purse, Moe gathered a basket from the back seat. She sent him a questioning look, but he just shrugged and grabbed her hand. Then, he silently led the way between the long rows of grave markers and headstones.

As they walked, Sondra looked around. The sun was shining, it wasn't too hot, and the light breeze was just strong enough to stir her hair. She shifted her head to catch the breeze a little more and noticed that they weren't alone. There was a dark figure by a grave a few rows away. The person's dark clothes hung on their slender frame. The long sleeved hooded sweatshirt must have been uncomfortable. As she watched, Sondra became sure that it was a woman. There was a delicacy in how the person moved and something about the frame. The person darted forward and was almost hidden by a large tombstone with angels sticking up.

When Sondra frowned and glanced back, the lady ducked down quickly. At first Sondra thought she was so upset she didn't want to talk to others, but later, she noticed furtive movements, and realized that mystery lady was going in the same direction that Moe was leading her.

Sondra watched the person trailing them a little longer and she glanced at Moe. After looking at Moe's intent face, Sondra decided to keep an eye out for the strange woman if she came close but not to worry him. It was still possible it was just someone who was in deep mourning and didn't want to be around people, but Sondra didn't thinks so. No reason to bother Moe yet though.

With a squeeze of Moe's hand, Sondra asked for some stories about his brother, Bobby. As Moe started, he grinned proudly and talked like a proud papa. It would have been cute, but then Sondra remembered that these stories were all eight or nine years old. Moe would had been a small child himself. Her heart clenched as she thought that if Bobby hadn't died, Moe would have had many more stories to tell than how cute Bobby was and how good a baby he had been.

After a few more moments, Moe pulled Sondra to a stop in front of a small stone marker that said, "Robert Simpson, February 19th, 2004-August 4th, 2004. When Sondra knelt down and traced the carved words and numbers, she couldn't help thinking about how small he must have been. Sondra glanced up at Moe and was glad that she wasn't the only one with tears in her eyes. With a watery smile she managed to say, "He must have been so tiny."

A silent nod was her reply. Then, a single tear roll down his cheek. After Sondra stood and gave him a hug for a few moments, Moe took a deep breath, and pulled away. She would have felt awkward, but he gave her a smile as he wiped away the tears and got busy spreading out a blanket from the picnic basket. When he turned back to Sondra he explained, "It became a tradition that we eat here. Uncle Brian suggested it when I worried that Bobby wouldn't have a birthday. After that, I always brought a gift and food, whether it was for his birthday or other times."

After a moment, Sondra admitted, "I saw the picnic basket, and hoped this wouldn't be out of line. Flowers just didn't seem right for a little boy." With a grin, she dug into her purse and pulled out a bright red balloon on a short plastic stick that she had picked out a couple of days ago. After finding a good spot, she shoved the plastic stick deep into the ground. It stood out as a bright marker next to the tiny headstone.

When Sondra looked up, she found Moe smiling down at her. Silently, he pulled a bright red matchbox car from his pocket and placed it at the base of her balloon.

They shared a smile before he helped her up and led Sondra to the small square of the blanket. Once she settled on a corner with Moe close by, Sondra relaxed and asked for another story about Bobby.

Moe smiled back, it might have been a little wistful, but Moe agreed and continued the stories as they ate sandwiches and then had some cake. When Sondra remembered to look around, she couldn't spot anyone hiding in the shadows and by the time they finished the meal Sondra had convinced herself that it really had been a person visiting another grave.

As he finished the last bite of cake, Moe looked around and admitted sheepishly, "I forgot to transfer the pop cans from the cooler, so they are still in the car."

When he began to get up, she shook her head and said firmly, "I'll get them. I appreciate you bringing me, but you might want some time here alone too." With that she held out her hand for the keys.

The understanding look made Moe want to kiss her smiling lips. Instead, he shifted away and handed her the keys. He watched her walk down the row and disappear over the slight hill, before he said out loud, "Isn't she great Bobby? She is the one that I mentioned before. I almost messed things up, but she still came with today. I hope she visits a lot more in the future."

So engrossed in his conversation, Moe missed seeing the lady walk up behind him until she cast a shadow over the blanket. At first, Moe was embarrassed at someone catching him talking to a gravestone. However, when he looked up at the shadowed face, his embarrassment disappeared and he stood up immediately. The food that had seemed so delicious a moment ago curdled in his stomach. Not knowing what else to say, so he muttered, "Hi Mom."