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15 Aralık 2021, 00:42
First Time at a Funeral?Gail! Do you remember me,? the six foot, blue-black man asked the woman dressed in a dark suit and light purple blouse with a clerical collar.The minister crinkled her nose as she attempted to place a name to this man. ?I uh???Don?t worry about it. I know you got a lot going on and all with losing Gene and all. I?m Daryle Wooden. I was Gene?s classmate at Westmont.??Yes,? the medium-brown woman with the blonde-streaked French twist hairdo said. ?I remember you. You?re KeKe?s older brother,? her face looked delighted.?Yeah! Yeah! That?s me.??Thank you for coming!??I wouldn?t miss it for the world. Gene was a real stand up guy!??Thank you! He was!??Is this your daughter,? Daryle asked.?Uh. Um. No. This is my niece. I don?t have any k**s.??Hi there,? he smiled warmly and extended a hand. ?Sorry for your loss. I?m Daryle.??Thank you, Daryle. I?m Lonna.??Which one do you belong to???My mom was LaTonya.??Oh yeah. The baby. I?m sorry.??Yeah!??Well, I?ll catch up with y?all after the service.??Thanks, Daryle.?Gail Cannon turned to her niece and said, ?I should?ve recognized him. He basically looks the same, but I?ve been away thirty years so I don?t place faces all the time.??It?s cool, Auntie. You knew his sister pretty well???Yeah. The Woodens lived a few doors down from us. They had five k**s and we had seven. No other families were as big as ours. But your mom and I used to play dolls with KeKe.??Nice.?The director announced it was time for everyone to line up. Lonna took a deep breath and stretched her toes. No one could tell because the woman with a glistening, cool, brownish yellow complexion had a pair of crimson pumps covering her feet. As the procession moved slowly towards the casket, she stepped with grace. Her svelte silhouette was hugged by a scoop-neck, belted black sheath dress that stopped just above her knees. She had her long jet black and caramel brown micro braids pulled back into a low ponytail. Atop the crown of her head, she wore a dainty black fascinator with decorative plumage.The service was beautiful. It was a true celebration of Gene Cannon?s life. Not only were Gene?s two sons, two daughters-in-law and three grandc***dren present, but there were also a host of extended family and friends. Of special prominence was Clayton Moses - the man with whom Gene had spent the past thirty-eight years of his life.Lonna had always known Uncle Gene and Uncle Clayton as a couple. She drew particular inspiration from the two African-American men as she went along her own journey to self-acceptance. The pair had been particularly supportive after her mother succumbed to Lupus and also when she announced her intention to transition from male to female.Lonna learned that Gene had touched many lives in his community based on the remarks given by various neighbors and letters of condolence that had been written by the mayor, a state legislator