Chapter Thirteen #2
The crowd applauded. Carol’s eyes shot to the members of the weather team, who were all looking down at the stage. Matthew shifted back and forth on his feet and kept scratching at his cheek. He looked tired again.
“I’m going to speak first today and then we will all share some thoughts,” said Tom. “We are broken to pieces, shattered, and still in a deep state of shock. But the warmth you are showing our Channel 9 family is lifting us all up.”
He proceeded to share a few memories of Faith and silly things they had talked about on and off the air, plus how she was so nice to his grandchildren when they visited.
Taking the mic off its holder when he was done, he handed it to Veronica, who talked of Faith’s wonderful sense of style and how kind she was to every coworker.
Roger was next and he said she made the show better every night and pushed them all to be their best. Roger passed the microphone to Matthew.
He coughed and stepped forward, looking uncomfortable.
“I, uh, I said this on the air before my weathercast last night but she was creative and had a big heart and we’re all going to miss her … so much.”
He handed the microphone to Abby, who spoke for a few minutes but got so choked up she had to pass it to Chuck. He only said a few words and passed it back to Tom.
“So there you have it,” said Tom. “To equate it to weather terms, Faith was a lightning bolt who came into all of our lives, the best kind of lightning bolt, because then she filled our lives with sun. Faith, wherever you are … this isn’t fair, we vow justice on your behalf, and we miss you.”
He passed the microphone back to Hilary and looked up to the sky as a collective sob came from the crowd. Carol took out a tissue from her fanny pack and wiped at the tears now rolling down her cheeks.
“We’ll play one of Faith’s favorite songs now,” Hilary said. “As Tom so eloquently put it, she was always looking for fair weather and the sunny side of life.”
Hilary nodded at someone offstage and the Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun” began.
The Channel 9 group onstage put their arms around each other and started swaying.
People in the audience seemed to have a variety of emotions: Some were singing along, even smiling; others were crying harder than ever.
Carol felt a lump in her throat too big to allow her to sing, but she tapped her hand on her knee slowly to the beat and thought, What a perfect song for Faith. She was an absolute ray of sunshine.
When the song ended, Hilary stepped to the microphone again.
“Faith’s sister, Hope, told me that Faith also liked Barry Manilow’s music. So I chose this next song and I think it’s extremely fitting.”
She motioned again to the person cuing the music, and “Can’t Smile Without You” started playing.
This one evoked even more emotion than “Here Comes the Sun,” and a sob rippled around the vigil.
The lump in Carol’s throat turned back into a flow of tears on her cheeks, and she pulled out another tissue and wiped at her face.
Barry Manilow was one of her favorites too, and she felt even closer to Faith knowing they had this in common.
The TV cameramen around the park were getting right into people’s faces at this key moment, really looking for that emotional reaction shot to things, Carol guessed.
When the camera came near her, she turned her head so the producer or whoever it was who picked the shots would not choose her.
She did not want to be on TV looking like she did, a little sweaty from another warm day and also wearing mustard yellow, not her best color.
The song ended and there was an awkward moment of silence with nothing but the sounds of sniffling and nose-blowing. Hilary walked back to the mic.
“We’re going to close this vigil with a prayer now.
Some of you have asked about a funeral. Faith’s sister tells me it will be very small, family only, and completely private.
Others have inquired if there will be a balloon release.
At Channel 9 we don’t condone balloon releases because they are documented as unhealthy for the environment, but we do have several doves in a cruelty-free extra-large cage with a professional animal handler.
You’ll see that to my left. The handler will release the doves into the air immediately after the prayer.
If you are physically able, please stand; if you are so inclined, please bow your head; and if you are also so inclined, please take the hand of the person next to you.
We’re all family today, all members of Faith’s Fair-Weather Friends Fan Club.
Faith has brought us all together, just as she would have wanted. ”
Most people stood, including Carol. The woman next to her reached for Carol’s hand, and Carol took it.
Holding a stranger’s hand always felt odd and a little uncomfortable, but she pushed the thought away and focused on Faith.
Hilary invited a Lutheran pastor to the microphone.
The pastor led them in a prayer about missing the ones we love but how we’re better for knowing and loving them in the first place.
He added that we must persevere through adversity and help each other and that sadness is a part of the human experience but so is comfort and joy and we can eventually find both in the memories we share.
Closing her eyes, Carol pictured Faith as she wanted to remember her: onscreen in front of the seven-day forecast, smiling with red lipstick, her hair flowing and perfectly curled, her tiny waist in some fashionable outfit, those bright blue eyes that always popped so beautifully, her long lashes, and of course some fun earrings.
Even though it was nondenominational, a good number of people said “Amen” when it was over.
All eyes went to the animal handler, who slowly opened a very large white cage to release the chalk-gray doves into the air.
The fluttering of their wings was the only noise apart from some sniffling.
Carol took her phone out and managed to quickly grab a photo of the doves before they got too far away, for Olivia.
Hilary told them that the doves going to the sky was a fitting tribute for Faith’s love of Mother Nature and weather.
The vigil was over, Hilary added, but they were welcome to stay as long as they wanted.
Channel 9 was providing coffee, lemonade, water, and cookies on several long tables to the side of the gazebo, and there were free umbrellas for everyone to remember Faith by.
Carol texted Jim to start heading back. She was folding up her camping chair and contemplating getting a cookie and a cup of lemonade when the woman who had been holding her hand during the prayer struck up a conversation.
“Hello,” she said in a sort of nasally voice, glancing down at Carol’s name tag. “Are you a Fair-Weather Friends Fan Club member, Carol? I am too.”
The woman seemed younger than Carol, but not by too much. She was holding a teddy bear with a red ribbon around its neck, which Carol thought a bit odd. Something about the curve of the woman’s jawbone and the way her eyes were set actually reminded Carol of Faith. Carol smiled.
“Yes, I’m a longtime member, in fact. I adored her.”
The woman pointed at her own name tag. “I’m Heather, I adored her too. Have you ever met Faith in person?” Carol noticed that the woman had poor posture and hunched shoulders. Her voice was annoying, but Carol tried to be polite.
“No, I just saw her on TV every night. My husband, Jim, and I watch Channel 9. Have you ever met her?”
“Two times at festivals. She was amazing. Oh—you might be wondering about this bear. This is Mr. Bojangles. He’s my emotional-support bear. I take him places when I need something to hold on to. He helps me through hard times. I need him for grief.”
Before Carol could respond, another woman in yellow nearby started yelling, her hands cupped around her mouth to create a makeshift megaphone.
“FAIR-WEATHER FRIENDS FAN CLUB MEMBERS, WE ARE GOING TO GATHER UNDER THE LARGE OAK TREE OVER HERE TO HAVE OUR OWN PRIVATE MOMENT. PLEASE JOIN US.”
Carol and Heather looked at each other and shrugged in a “why not?” way.
Everyone in yellow and a few not in the color started walking over.
It was almost entirely women, and the few men seemed to be paired with a female partner, all except one.
He stood nervously, shifting from one foot to the next.
His name tag read STEVE. The woman in charge had a name tag that read CHLOE and she had drawn little lightning bolts, clouds, and a sun next to her name.
Carol realized that this was likely the organizer she had seen on the Facebook page.
“Hi, everyone, and thank you for being here on this absolutely devastating but moving day. I’m Chloe. I started the Facebook page and I’m the admin. Thank you all for wearing yellow and your special earrings today. I have twelve pairs but these are my favorite…”
She touched her earrings, happy snowmen that Faith wore for school snow days. They looked odd on such a sunny and warm afternoon.
“I thought we’d take a moment to have our own vigil since clearly no one is a bigger fan of Faith than any of us.
” Chloe stopped to wipe her eyes and sniff.
“She changed my life. I know more about science now than I ever did, and I got makeup and fashion tips from her too. I was absolutely gutted yesterday, gutted. It was one of, if not the, worst days of my entire life. I’m sure many of you would agree. Whoever did this…”
Her voice turned to anger, but she shook her head and continued.
“As Tom said, we will get justice. For now, all we can do now is honor her memory. So, who would like to share a thought about Faith?”
They all glanced at each other. Who was going to speak first in front of strangers?