Bitter Farewell by Karolyn James

“I don’t want to think about that.”
    Everyone laughed, even Johnnie.
    “My advice,” Johnnie said, “is to keep our cool, keep our heads down, and try to work through today the best we can. I’m not sure if people will bother us for autographs or ask questions, but if they do, just remember that we’re the only thing to come from Bakersville since that gas station blew up fifteen years ago and made headline news for ten minutes.”
    The band nodded and Danny finally looked at himself in the mirror again.
    It was time.
    That’s the only thought that came to him and he wasn’t sure what it meant.
    It was time.
    He backed up and sat down at the edge of the tub. He folded his hands and bounced his chin off his fingers a few times before looking at his brothers, at the rest of Chasing Cross.
    “I crashed through a fence yesterday,” he said.
    “You what?” Johnnie asked. He pushed forward and stepped into the bathroom. He leaned against the bathroom sink and folded his arms.
    Danny looked at his older brother and in that light, in that moment he realized that Johnnie had always been more of a father than Big John .
    But why did it hurt so much that his father was dead?
    “The old Hartley property has a fence on it now. I met up with Jeff, you remember him?”
    Johnnie nodded.
    “We were messing around and I didn’t know there was a fence there. I went through it and cut up my leg.”
    “Are you okay?”
    “I’m fine. I got patched up... at the house...”
    “The Hartley’s? That doesn’t seem...”
    “No, not them. Someone else.”
    Danny’s mouth ran dry. Saying her name brought life to his heart but stabbed it at the same time. It was a hell of a feeling, one he wished on nobody he loved.
    “Who has the house now?” Johnnie asked. He turned his head and looked down and his eyes went wide. “That’s a lot of blood, brother. Are you sure you’re okay?”
    “Those were from last night,” Danny said. “The ride back made everything worse than it really is.”
    After a few seconds of hesitation, Danny finally had to speak her name.
    “Liv,” he whispered.
    “Liv...,” Johnnie said.
    He understood.
    “Liv,” Danny said. “She lives there with her father. He’s got Alzheimer’s and she’s all alone.”
    Danny stared at Johnnie, looking for the right answer. Johnnie always had the right answer, even when he didn’t.
    Johnnie let out a long sigh and looked at the rest of the band. Then he looked at Danny and crouched down. He put his hands on Danny’s knees and smiled.
    “Brother, listen to me,” Johnnie said. “Today isn’t the day to chase the clock back in time.”
    “Chasing time,” Danny whispered.
    “Hey, I get credit for that one,” Rick said.
    “Let’s take one thing at a time right now,” Johnnie said. “It’s going to be a long day for us, all of us. There’s enough history living in this house to keep our minds and hearts spinning for weeks. But today, right now, we get to close a chapter of our lives, Danny. We say goodbye to our father and we continue to live. No matter the feelings, the past, anything, he’s gone and we’re alive.”
    “I got it,” Danny said. “Thanks.”
    Johnnie stood and took the lead, leaving the bathroom and then the house. Everyone followed. Danny walked last, doing his best to not let Liv take over his thoughts.
    The ride in the van was somber and quiet. Danny stared out the window and expecting it to start raining. If it were a movie it would have definitely been raining. But instead, it was a beautiful day in Virginia. Clear blue skies, the sun positioned back behind enough trees that its warm rays didn’t make it too hot. At the funeral home, there were five chairs set up in the front, next to the open casket for Big John . When Danny saw his father’s body, lying there, dead, he shivered for a second. He approached the coffin and had to laugh to himself; he couldn’t remember a time when his father looked so cleaned up. His