Funeral

Chapter 1: My Funeral
Maria's funeral was held on 22nd December 1989, only three days before Christmas.

The funeral was held near a clear area six miles away from her house where she lived.

Satsuki hated churches and they had difficulty finding a priest to conduct the ceremony.

Most of her family wore funeral kimonos while her Western relatives wore tuxedos and dresses.

Her coffin was closed as her mother refused to allow anyone to view her horribly mangled body, despite the funeral home's effort to reconstruct her face and dress her.

Before the coffin lid was closed for good, She was dressed in her Transformers pajamas.

The coffin was decorated with things from all her favorite things, Sport Popples, Transformers, Miami Dolphins football jersey, G.I. Joe action figures, He-Man action figures, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toys, Miami Heat basketball jersey, Hot Wheels cars, WWE and much more.

She was going to be buried underneath a shrine, It was a very well-done shrine, they hired someone to take care of the objects on it.

Joseph and his parents sat while his father comforted him. Joseph's little tomboy sister, Casey cried and cried. His six older brothers, Ryan, Sean, Dylan, Liam, Buzz and Tyler were also there.

"It is all my fault!" Joseph wailed. "Maria died and it is all because of me! I should have stayed with her! I should never have left her alone!!! I will never forgive myself for as long as i shall live!!!"

Satsuki, Maria's mother held the Thundercracker figure in her hands, the figure was in robot mode, it was her daughter's favorite because it was her favorite color and a plane.

Ichiro was crying, he was devastated by the loss, he was in the hospital at the time due to a chest infection and he was granted permission to go out.

At the time, the police searched for the girls who murdered Maria and the young second grader's death caused a humongous outrage in the Miami school district. Parents and teachers alike were angered and outraged at the school for allowing a horrible tragedy like that to happen and were left with baffling questions.

How could the school district let this happen to this child?

Why did the Board of Education fail to provide a safe environment for the children?

Where were the school teachers and staff when the young girl was kidnapped and then brutally beaten to death?

Ichiro cried until the tears ran dry, his granddaughter had been abducted and brutally murdered and he couldn't do anything to stop it. It was all his fault.

Joseph went over to Ichiro.

"Ichiro?" Joseph said.

No response.

"She isn't dead........" Ichiro said, walking up to the casket carrying his dead granddaughter.

"Otosan! What are you doing?!" Satsuki exclaimed.

He opened the lid, Maria's cut and bloodied face was revealed to everyone.

"Wake up, mommy's got Thundercracker, and all your favorite Transformers......." He said to the dead girl's body.

Satsuki didn't want anyone to see her daughter's dead body in the casket.

She turned to the priest.

"He's in a state of confusion, Sometimes, he forgets his granddaughter is no longer living and he repeatedly and unsuccessfully tried to wake her days before the funeral." Satsuki said.

Joseph was in tears as he walked up to the podium to deliver his eulogy. "Before I met Maria, my dad was always changing jobs so I was always moving to different schools, always saying goodbye to a best friend...and today is no exception. Maria and I met when we were in kindergarten and my family moved from Austin, Texas, and at the moment we met, we discovered how much we had in common. What I learned from my experience with my best friend Maria is that you are who you are, and don't let anybody change that. You are who you choose to be, and don't let anybody decide for you. I also learned that families are not about religions...competition, comparison, hatred, bragging...showing off...camping trips, trips to the beach, the toy store...the cinemas...another country like Japan...or even barbecues, it is about being together, being there when we need each other, taking care of one another...love, sharing stories with our loved ones that they will treasure for generations to come, supporting each other, lending a helping hand, remembering the loved ones dearly departed and...cheering each other on. Don't ever take your friends or loved ones for granted. You do not know how special they are to you until they are gone."

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A day later, Satsuki and Martin had died and they had their funerals, Martin was buried in the McNamara-O’Hare-Kimmings plot while Satsuki was sent back to Japan to be cremated, Joseph faced the wall, hitting it.

”Why did this have to happen?!, Everyone in she and her mother‘s life betrayed her! They drove Maria to an early grave!” Joseph yelled.

Mikey approached him.

”Joe, Sometimes, It’s best to look the other way, That’s just the way it goes.” Mikey said.

”Help....” He mumbled.

”What do you want help for?, A doctor?” Mikey asked.

Joseph faced them.

”Forget it, You can’t just undo what’s been done to her and Satsuki, If someone else other than your family and relatives showed Maria a little kindness, she might have gone to Japan earlier, made friends, lived happily ever after, but that didn’t happen, I’m sorry, but stories like Satsuki’s and Maria’s don’t have happy endings.” Mikey said.

”Where‘s Ichiro?” Joseph asked.

”He went back to Japan to cremate his daughter.” Mikey said.