Art recalled some discussions with Wes about this during theirwalks.
“Yeah,” Frances said. “Art wants to be cremated too. I’m gonna have a big gaudy casket. Want my little space, looking pretty. I got this violet dress picked out just for theoccasion.”
“You have the dress pickedout?”
“You’ve got to pick out your clothes. You don’t want them to dress you up in something you wouldn’t have liked. My girls, I love them to death, but they have terrible tastes. Wouldn’t trust them with something like that, so I got my number all ready to go for when Ipass.”
“Did you already tell your daughters?” Wesasked.
“Of course I did. They’re the ones who’ll be seeing my wishes arerespected.”
Wes shook his head. “Kelly is never very interested in discussing things like that. She thinks it’s morbid. So doesJustin.”
“Oh, the kids always think that stuff is morbid,” Gabe said, “but they’ll start thinking that way too when they get our age. I don’t reason it’s very fair that they get to act like we’re a bunch of disturbing, macabre nutjobs when this is our reality. We get to decide how we pass the finishline.”
“What are you doing, then, Gabe?” Wesasked.
“Cremation, and then Tony here is another coffin, another big, fat waste of theearth.”
Tony shrugged. “I figured I’ve wasted this much of the planet already, why not take up a littlemore?”
Wes laughed. “That sounds aboutright.”
Tony took another whiff from thevape.
“Now, Tony, stop hogging the weed!” Wes exclaimed. “It’s supposed to make a circle back to me andArt.”
Art laughed, having already noticed that Tony had taken more than a few hits. Tony appeared genuinelystartled.
“Yeah, a proper circle means everyone gets a turn,” Gabe insisted as Tony made his way over to Art and handed him the vape. “I had a time like that in thebarracks.”
Frances shook her head. “I swear, Gabe, you know this is a safe space, right? You can just comeout.”
Gabe nodded, to himself, it seemed. “I’m probably one of those bisexuals, but I don’t get the way these kids use half these terms, so who knows? I feel like I’m too old to sort through itnow.”
Art wasn’t sure if it was the weed or what Gabe had said, but they all threw their heads back and shared a collectivelaugh.
“Okay, I’m turning on the TV,” Francessaid.
“What?” Wesasked.
“That’s the best part! Watching thelights.”
“She’s right,” Gabe said. “Oh, it’s going to be a good afternoon. Someone get the Chinese food ready togo.”
“I’m way ahead of you,” Tony said as he fidgeted with his phone, his intensity familiar to Art, since it was how he typically got when he was gettingbaked.
