Scrap 15

SCRAP 15
Bright sunshine streams into the hall, the mourners are silenced as Rosa leads the funeral director and his men into the house. The dogs have not made a sound, staying motionless in their kennels as if they too are grieving.
The lid is carefully screwed down and the casket raised on the shoulders of the black coated men, who slowly progress to the flower-decked hearse and reverently slide their cargo in the back. Orla’s huge cross of white chrysanthemums is placed on top of the casket and the mourners quietly take to their cars.
The procession takes several minutes to reach the road, where dozens of local people have come to watch them pass by. Not that there was any particular affection for the departed, mainly out of curiosity. A funeral on this grand scale is a rare sight.
Slowly the cars glide on, past the pub on the corner where Bill had been a regular for more than 30 years, past the boat yards and chandler’s shop, along the wide High Street and up to the church.
There is not enough room inside the church for all the mourners so there is something of a scramble to cram into the pews, with many people having to make do with standing in the churchyard to listen to the proceedings via the hastily rigged public address system.
Orla walks in with Jason on her arm. Danny manages to get himself next to Rosa, who reluctantly takes his proffered arm and sits beside him in the reserved front pew.
The Reverend Anderson gives a respectable performance. Considering that he never met the deceased he has learned enough in the past few days to put on a convincing show.
The casket is carried to the graveside by Bill’s 2 remaining brothers and 4 cousins. Everyone crowds round as the men prepare to lower Bill’s remains to his final resting place. The casket scrapes on the sides of the hole and wedges tight a few inches from the top. The crowd gasp. ‘He was a big man,’ some wit observes.
The men pull as hard as they can and after a struggle the casket comes up again. One of the funeral assistants dashes off and returns with 2 spades. Bill’s brothers snatch them off him and furiously dig into the clay as the vicar stands in embarrassed silence.
‘That should do it,’ puffs Bill’s brother Sam. They try again and this time the casket slides to the bottom of the hole. ‘Bloody undignified,’ grumbles Sam.
‘Bill would have had a good laugh at that,’ says Danny. Rosa glares at him.
Orla is losing her strength. She whispers to Jason, he turns to his Uncle who helps support her for the final part of the service.
When at last it is over and the cards on floral tributes have been read, the procession follows the chief mourners’ car back to the yard.