6 Church

Before the court date, Blake has two trips planned out. One trip is a stop in New York City and the other requires travel to Brooksville, New York. He wants to pray at a church to God. Alex has agreed to come along with him to church and to Brooksville. The second trip is to visit the tomb of his mother Rosie Sharp.

In the morning they rise to head for a church nearby that is a walking distance away. They dress in nice formal clothes. It is a Tuesday so there is no service, but one can walk in to pray. Blake and Alex walk on the streets following the directions to the church. Reaching a stone building they step inside. A pastor is walking inside talking to people. There are a few people praying in the pews. It is quiet here. Alex and Blake get on their knees and lower their heads in prayer.

Blake: Heavenly Father, I want to thank you for finding my father. I pray he is safe. I ask for your strength for the days to come. May your will be done on Earth as on Heaven...

Alex: God, keep us safe as we go through our journey through life. Give us guidance on what to do on the court date…

Alex and Blake rise from the pew. They walk around the church to look at the glass mural. It is a picture of Jesus on the cross in colors. They head out of the church and back to the motel. Blake and Alex prepare a bag each filled with a change of clothes for their trip to Brooksville. Packing a toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, soap, and deodorant Blake is ready for tomorrow.

Taking a cab, they are taken to the train station on the west end of New York City. Here many people in business attire roam about. There are also families with suitcases waiting to board a train.

“Two tickets to Brooksville, New York,” says Blake.

“Certainly, pay through the pin pad. Here’s your ticket, train B 12 8:45 am departure,” he says.

“Thank you,” says Blake.

Alex and Blake sit down to wait for their train. Soon they board inside and sit down on red cushioned seats. They close the compartment door for privacy.

“You have never told me much about your mother,” says Alex.

“My father never talked much about her. I was only a little boy when he left so what he did tell me was long ago,” says Blake.

“What was her name?” says Alex.

“Rosalie. My father said she was named like her grandmother,” says Blake.

“If you don’t mind me asking what she passed away from?” asks Alex.

“She had stomach cancer and passed away shortly after I was born,” says Blake.

“My condolences for your loss,” says Alex.

“Much appreciated,” says Blake.

Blake and Alex settle into a conversation for part of the trip. Blake watches out of the window as they leave the city behind and head into open terrain. Their ride takes five hours by train. An attendant knocks on their compartment.

“Hello, your stop will be soon,” she says.

“Thank you,” says Alex.

Alex and Blake gather their bags.

BROOKSVILLE STOP PASSENGERS CAN BEGIN DEPARTURE.

At the station of Brooksville, they asked for directions to Hope Cemetery and for a taxi number to get there. A half-hour later they climbed inside a taxi and drove through Brooksville. The town was a medium-sized town in New York. There were plenty of brick houses with front yards and the rest were wooden houses. The leaves were now multiple colors or brown, red, orange, yellow, and green. Traffic was easy flowing through the town, in a couple of minutes they reached the black iron gates to the cemetery. Paying for the taxi they got off.

“Could we call you once we are done?” asks Blake.

“Yes, my round ends at 5:00 pm,” she says.

Blake was not sure in which location of the cemetery his mother’s grave was located. It looked to be a small cemetery. Bake and Alex split up and began looking at the names.

“I think I found it,” says Alex.

Blake goes to where Alex is standing. A grey tombstone on the ground has the name Rosalie Sharp, My dearest wife, may you rest, 04.27.35 -6.20.60. Brushing the weeds off the tombstone Blake spends time cleaning the best he can. He sits down to talk to his mom.

Blake: Mom wherever you are I want to tell you I love you. I’ve missed you every day. I found dad again …

Rising Blake gets up and takes another look at his mother’s grave. Alex calls the taxi to take them to a motel for the night. They ride back in the center of Brooksville. They check into a motel and sleep for the night.

Rising in the morning Blake wakes Alex. They leave their bags at the motel. They are headed for Mr. and Mrs. Sharp’s old house. Alex had already done some investigation and the house is unoccupied. They take public transport which would drop them two blocks away from the house. The bus has small leathery seats. Once they reach their stop they begin to walk. A faded yellow house is the end of their destination. The whole house is fenced in.

“Should we climb in?” asks Blake.

“Yeah,” says Alex.

Alex and Black climb over the chain-link fence. Trying to gain entrance they realize the doors and windows are locked. Alex goes to the back door. He takes out a metal paper clip from his pocket.

“I thought this might be useful, so I grabbed one from the front desk,” says Alex.

Alex fiddles with the lock for a minute. The back door opens.

“Wow, you did it,” says Blake.

Blake walks into his parent’s abandoned house. Dust is collecting everywhere. In the kitchen, there is still a wooden dining table. There are no dishes. The next room is the living room. In the center is a box. Black opens the box and finds family photos of his father, mother, and other relatives.

Going upstairs he finds two bedrooms, only the bed frames remain. After seeing all the house’s rooms Alex and Black leave the property. They head to a restaurant to eat burgers and fries. They stay one more day in Brooksville until they return on train to New York City. Back in the city, Blake is reminded of the court date. He feels anxiety creeping up.

Tomorrow is the court date.