When Matt Is Dead

The phone will ring at Matt’s mother’s house and the lady will ask are you Matt’s mother and she’ll say yes because she is.  The lady will ask is This your address and Matt’s mother will say What’s This About but the lady won’t tell her though.

The lady uses words that are hollow and heavy and weigh down the heads of the ears that hear them.  These are those words:  We Are Sending Officers To Your Home Is Someone There With You.

Matt’s mother will call Matt and Matt will not answer but his voice will say he’ll call her back.  Matt’s mother will call Matt’s brother and when he answers she’ll know The Who but not for sure The What Or How for another two hours while the officers chopper in.

The meantime leaves a long time to wait and to dial Matt’s number again for the message he’ll call her back which is less and less likely as the night wears on and the officers fly with news too heavy for the ground to hold. 

The officers land and hand off the news to Matt’s mother and father who sift through scenarios, each one ending with Matthew fine.   The dad drives down to tell the man the boy they have is not his, and he readies the words I Don’t Know Him but He’s Ours comes out instead. 

Later Matt’s mother will phone with news your ears won’t hear.  She’ll say it once and then again.  Repeating these words, as you’ll soon find out, is a slash through the chest wall, so please make note to hear it right the first time.  Along with Matt’s news the request: Will You Call And Tell The Others.  Yes, you say, you will and do, and Matt is dead to Patricia, then Mary.  Matt is dead to George, then Cathy and Tommy.  Matt is dead to your dad and your mother who is dying.  And Matt is dead too many times to bear.

Frankie: Gone Fishin’

 

Frankie, 80, of Redacted, MO died early Saturday morning, February 21st, 2009, in the company of his daughters, Mary Frank and Clancy Jane, shortly after telling Jane he wanted to gather some night crawlers and take her fishing.  

He was born July 25, 1928 the only son of George Albert and Myrtle Alice (Redacted) Redacted, who preceded him in death. On January 3, 1955, he married Our Good Lady in Redacted, MO, and he grieved her death, which occurred July 30, 2008, until his own.  To the union of Frankie and Our Good Lady, six children were born, and they are as follows:  Cathy, Ida Allis, Tommy, Mary Frank, Clancy Jane, and George.

Frankie engaged in a variety of jobs and businesses throughout his life. In his early years, he and his family were an important part of Redacted trading, via Redacted and Son Grocery and Hardware. In addition to this he built ammunition boxes, county bridges, and strong children.

Frankie spent most of his life in Redacted and Redacted. He lived his last months at the LaPlata Nursing Home, where he was cared for compassionately by the staff and longtime family friends Amy Byrn, Joan Chegwidden and Mizty Crowdis.
Frankie was proud to serve his country in the Korean War as a Forward Observer and part of the 7th Infantry Division, among others. When his services ended he wrote his mother a four page letter, one word to a page, which read: I AM COMING HOME.
Visitation was held on Tuesday, February 24, 2009 with funeral service following at Redacted Family Funeral Home. Internment with a military service was held at the Redacted Cemetery.

Frankie’s children were his pallbearers, and honorary pallbearers were: Junior Redacted, Larry Redacted, Redacted Coddington, Butch Redacted, John Redacted, Nate Redacted, Bub Michael and Redacted Brown.

Frankie Takes Stock After Deaths and Amputations

He checks for the presence of limbs and loved ones as if patting pockets for keys and coins.

He sits by his scanner awaiting the 20 on his missing wife and shoe.