Free First Class Farewell by Aj Harmon Page A

began, written by Matt and Ray’s two daughters who had
arrived in New York from Michigan on Friday afternoon. They were devastated and
grateful to the Lathems for handling the funeral arrangements.
    Separated from their dad in their childhood when their
mother had moved them to her hometown of Detroit, the girls hadn’t seen much of
their father, but in recent years had opened up communication and were slowly
becoming close with him again through email and phone calls. He was paying for
their college tuition and spoke with them as frequently as possible. Their
future with him had been mercilessly snatched from them and they mourned a man
they were just starting to get to know. How cruel life could be.
    Ray had been raised by a single mother in Harlem. His older
brother had died at the age of seventeen in a gang related shooting and Mrs. Thomas
had done all she could to ensure Ray didn’t follow in his footsteps. And he
hadn’t. Joining the army, he’d served for eight years, spending five of them in
the Middle East during Desert Storm as an Army Ranger. He’d been employed by a
security firm for a couple of years before meeting Matt and accepting his offer
of employment. He’d said many times that next to having his daughters, it was
the smartest choice he’d ever made, working for MEL Holdings. He’d loved his
job and had grown to love the family. When his mother had died a few years
before, it was Matt and Janie who’d been there for him, whose shoulders he’d
cried on, who had comforted him. They were his family.
    Ray had separated himself from the life he’d had as a boy.
He’d encouraged his cousins to follow in his footsteps, offering all the help
they needed to get out of and away from the gangs that ruled their neighborhood
and become respectable citizens, returning to school and being fathers to the
children they’d sired. But many of them hadn’t listened to him and they’d
drifted apart, and once again Ray claimed the Lathems as his family.
    And the Lathems claimed him. First a reliable employee and
then a trusted driver, Ray became the man that Matt confided in and leaned on
in times of trial. He was the loyal friend who watched over Matt’s children,
Ella and Christopher, like they were his own. And they loved him back. Matt
didn’t know how to break the devastating news to his kids. They were too young
to experience such loss and be exposed to senseless violence like this. They
would be robbed of their innocence but it couldn’t be helped…he couldn’t
procrastinate too long.
    The funeral service would be the following week. It would be
a small affair. The girls wanted it to be private…they wanted to be able to
mourn the loss of their father without hundreds of eyes on them. Ray wasn’t a
church-goer, and neither were his daughters, but they thought a religious
service would be appropriate, so it was arranged with Father James that St.
Luke’s would hold the service. They also would respect his wishes and have his
body cremated.
    Leslie, the older of the two girls, had asked to speak with
Matt privately over the weekend.
    “Jackie and I have been talking, and, we know where Dad
would want his ashes spread.”
    “Okay,” said Matt. “Is there something that you need me to
do?”
    Leslie nodded. “We loved him, and we know he loved us, but,
you should be the one to take care of it. I know he would have wanted it this
way.”
    Matt nodded. “Anything you need.”
    “Will you take him to your house in the Bahamas and spread
his ashes in the ocean? He loved it there. He spoke of the peace he felt there
and how he thought he might like to retire there one day. It should be his
final resting place.”
    “Of course,” agreed Matt. “But why don’t you do it? It would
be…”
    “No,” Leslie interrupted. “He loved you like a brother. You
were with him every day. Please?”
    So it was agreed that Matt would take Ray to the place he
loved most.

10.
Goodbye
    It had taken almost four