Now the radio host had a nice deep voice, the kind that carries, which perhaps aided in his chosen profession. Ripley's voice was better suited for keeping things clandestine. And it was for this reason that Roa had her attention captured not by Ripley's rendition of the story, but by the comment made by the host.
She was making the rounds nearby, rendering the mutual condolences that were exchanged in such a place, as well as clarifying her relationship to the parted. It was while she was making these customary exchanges that she caught the out-of-context words of the host, "He sacrificed... Save the woman he loved...'' This was all she could discern between the ambient sound and focusing on the conversation she was having. But upon hearing this, she found she could not let this go. She quickly wrapped up a conversation with an attendant of no particular relevance and made her way over to Ripley.
He was just about to hop back onto the piano, he had taken a rather long break, partaking in his conversation, and felt it was longer than it should have been. That was why he was conflicted when Roa grabbed his shoulder just as he was about to begin playing again.
"Ripley, do you have a minute?" He could see that she had something pressing to say, but he felt obligated to resume playing.
"Is it urgent? I feel like I got a little too caught up in that last conversation." He expected that she would acquiesce, but to his surprise, she was more insistent than was usual.
"I'm sorry Ripley, but I couldn't help but overhear something about Seth 'saving the woman he loved.'" Ripley stiffened at this, and this wasn't lost on Roa.
He got up from the bench, "Well, if you heard that, then I suppose this might be the best time..." He turned to face her. "Roa, you know I am a man of my word. That is why I didn't say anything while Seth was alive." Roa eyed him suspiciously with narrowed eyes. Had he been concealing something from her? It seemed almost certain that he was. Half propping himself up on his piano, he continued. "Honestly, it was very frustrating. I was surprised by just how dense you both could be." He let out an exhale that was almost a laugh. "I mean, I expected that from Seth, but you... well, I thought you would have caught on."
Roa could feel her heart rate increase, as she began to squeeze her hands into fists that were now beginning to perspire. "What do you mean by that, Ripley?" Her voice was filled with a tension that was out of place for the usually more amiable Roa as she dropped her tone to a lower register.
The change in atmosphere was not something that Ripley could miss. He could feel the approaching storm. He should have said something earlier, much earlier, like shortly after the incident. Well perhaps not, would she have been able to handle it then? Perhaps there was no good time. However, he was sure there was a better time than this, but there was no helping it now. "It was my deepest desire, that on the night of the concert, you both would have realized you had feelings for each other."
Now she was truly clenching down hard with fingernails cutting into her palms, her face flushed red with anxiety that didn't have a place to go. "What are you saying??" She was barely able to contain her volume. In her heart of hearts, she knew what Ripley meant, but the conscious mind wouldn't accept anything other than concrete confirmation.
Ripley took a deep inhale and let it out. "I'm not sure if love is the correct word to use, but seeing as it meant enough to sacrifice himself, that's what I will go with. Roa, Seth was in love with you." In the end, he just put it bluntly, despite his reluctance. He couldn't say why exactly, but he felt saying these things directly was a bit gauche.
Roa was ready to explode, if anyone was to have seen her at that moment, they might have taken heed of the old "Duck and Cover" instructionals and sought shelter. Ripley too found he had to turn his head away. He couldn't face her now, but he prepared to accept the shockwave that was to follow. This was his final duty in this course of events.
Now that the truth was revealed a torrent of memories accosted her. Memories of her various interactions with Seth. He was by all accounts quite shy in general and just a bit socially awkward. She was sure he was aware of this and felt this made him more aloof than he otherwise would have been. Because of these facts, it in turn made her kind of shy around him, as well as awkward. He wasn't the first guy she had a crush on; she was well aware of the kind of things you would do to display interest, but she found this hard with Seth. She may have tested the waters a bit, but it seemed like he couldn't properly interpret her meaning, and took out of it the opposite of what she was trying to convey. Naturally, this made her nervous around him, she didn't want to diminish her image to him. But now, in light of this new information, she could see in those interactions evidence that he may have had feelings for her. That his awkwardness might have been due in part because of this. The more she thought about it the more this seemed like the obvious conclusion: the way he would immediately turn his gaze away whenever she looked at him, how he would become quiet whenever she addressed him, though he was conversing just fine with the others before. She was sure she even saw him flush a few times, though he was pretty good at hiding this. How could she have been so blind? If she would have realized sooner...
With a shadow eclipsing her face in a restrained outburst, "Why didn't you tell me this before?" Though she said it at an appropriate volume, Ripley could feel the event horizon of the shockwave hit him.
"I promised Seth I would keep his secret." Ripley was renowned among his friends for both his ability to keep his promises, as well as their secrets. Roa should know, she had a similar arrangement with regard to Seth.
"But you knew we both liked each other. Why would you conceal that??"
"A promise is a promise." Ripley looked ashamed, but he still felt like the power of a promise was not something that could so easily be compromised.
"Ripley..." she said calmly; the quiet before the storm. "THAT IS THE STUPIDEST THING I'VE EVER HEARD!!!" The pinnacle of the shockwave hit him and he was utterly annihilated. (R.I.P. Ripley XXXXX 199x - 202x) The entire hall felt it. And then there was dead silence.
The moment lingered and then Roa began to cry. She covered her face with her hands as she sobbed. The awkwardness of the room was palpable as people clumsily tried to go back to their conversations. Ripley tried to reach out to console her but was repelled by an invisible barrier, one that he could not infringe. It was clear to Ripley that he may never earn her forgiveness. But just leaving his dear friend to suffer was unbearable. What was he to do...
"Roa..." It was Mitch. "Are you alright?" His voice was soft but confident. He reached out a hand to place on Roa's shoulder, and to Ripley's shock, he passed through the barrier unfazed. In response to this gesture, Roa turned and began full-on weeping into his shoulder. Ripley felt a bit put out but was ultimately glad for this rescue.
"Mitch, I'm sorry to put this on you, but could you take her somewhere more private? Until she..." He hesitated to find the right word. "Until she feels better." He settled on this, feeling that this was probably the least patronizing thing he could say.
"Um... Sure." He looked a bit confused but agreed that this was the best course of action. "Come on Roa, let's go out into the hallway for a bit." She went willingly enough, and the awkward atmosphere of the funeral hall dissipated to a degree. After the storm had lifted, Ripley was just barely able to support himself with the aid of his piano. He felt like absolute trash... But the show must go on. He sat back down at his piano and played something especially gloomy.
The eulogy was given by Ripley of course. He walked to the podium with all the grace and poise one would expect from someone in his line of work. And as one would expect, he gave quite a captivating speech to honor the legacy of his dear friend. However, it was clear by now, that he was a skilled showman, so those in attendance may not have taken everything he said at face value. Was this really a problem? Well, Ripley thought so, he didn't want people to believe that he was anything less than sincere. To that end, before wrapping up his speech, he opened the floor to anyone who wanted to speak.
But this was a mistake; nobody seemed eager to approach the podium. Perhaps they were nervous? They were being put on the spot. Ripley looked to Roa. He felt she would be willing to speak, but she was still a mess. She wasn't sobbing anymore, but she was clearly making efforts to conceal the fact that the tears were still flowing. He looked over to the parents. He could see they had no intention of making any statement. He could further see that the guilt was tearing them up. From what Seth had told him, he assumed they didn't know him well enough to add anything of value to the eulogy. He looked at the two siblings. It looked like Marisa wanted to come up. Lucas however, was holding her by the shoulder preventing her from doing so, with a rather frumpy expression on his face. From his earlier interaction, it was possible that she lacked tack in these situations, and perhaps it was for the best that she remained seated. Of course, since Lucas was the one holding the leash, he wouldn't be able to add anything either.
Ripley was just about to let out a sigh when someone spoke up, "Might I say something?" It came from where Roa was sitting, but it was clearly a man's voice. Mitch politely raised a finger to note he would like to speak. Ripley was surprised that he would have something to say, but considering he was here today only because of the departed, perhaps he should have known better.
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"Yes... By all means. Please do." Being caught flat-footed, he stumbled over his words but was graceful enough. He yielded the podium to Mitch with a musician's flourish.
As he got to the podium, it was clear that he wasn't completely unfamiliar with addressing groups of people. He took a brief moment to look over the crowd. "Good evening everyone. I know that you don't know me, and you might be wondering who I am to address this esteemed assembly. You might be right about that, I barely knew Seth in life. In fact, I have never so much as spoken to him. The truth is, had the tragic circumstances that bring us all here today not transpired, there is a good chance I might never have known of his existence." He took a moment to reflect, turning his head to the side as he organized his thoughts. "So what am I doing up here now? Well the very fact that I can address you all now, I owe exclusively to that very man. It was to be another and I that fate had written in its black book. Another and I to be the victims of circumstance's twisted machinations." He paused as there was a clear commotion in the crowd. "I stand before you all now, not because he was important to me in life, but because I cannot let the fact that Seth is a hero go unsaid. A hero, that would without hesitation, give his life to save a perfect stranger." After another pause, the commotion abated, and Roa had completely broken down again. Mitch himself was tearing up a bit as well, but he managed to keep his voice from breaking. "That's all I had to say, thank you." He then returned to his seat.
Ripley was relieved after Mitch had finished speaking, that was exactly what this service needed. He was grateful that Mitch was willing to let the truth be known. With this, he was satisfied and was about to give some final remarks, until another voice spoke out. "If I may." The deep rich voice could belong to none other than the radio host.
Ripley was caught completely off guard by this request and only gestured to the podium as he made space, unable to articulate anything sensible. As the radio host took the podium he supported himself by holding either side of the lectern. He looked completely at ease, he was clearly an old pro when addressing an audience. "You know, I have been to quite a few funerals, unfortunately. It's the price you pay for living to be old and having many friends. I would also like to thank the family and friends of Seth for allowing me to attend today; you had no obligation to grant my request, and for that I am grateful." He paused. "I've noticed a wide breadth of sentiments here today, from relative indifference, to complete devastation. But this is not unusual. In these situations, there are usually those who attend because they have a genuine need to say their last goodbyes and those who attend out of a sense of obligation. Now that is not a knock on the latter group, to the contrary, it is commendable that you can act on a sense of duty without any emotional return."
"I decided to attend this service on something of a whim, this is not unusual, I'm something of a whimsical guy." He gave a faint laugh. "But I would have seriously regretted it if I had not." He let his gaze drift over the crowd. "It is not every day that you get to attend the funeral of a hero, and even more seldom you get to be there when the truth of one selfless sacrifice was revealed." He looked off to the side slightly bobbing his head as he considered his next words. "It just occurred to me that the word hero really doesn't convey what it used to. Everyone's a hero these days. Single mother, hero. Volunteer at the local soup kitchen, hero. Returning your shopping cart, hero." That last line got a bit of a laugh. "That's not to say that these things aren't admirable, but it does make conveying the merits of true heroes such as the venerated departed, a rather lengthy endeavor. However, I am grateful to have been given the chance to do so." Another smile broke over his face as he laughed again. "Thanks for your time, and humoring this old man." Ripley felt obligated to shake the man's hand as he stepped down from the stage, almost as if he had been paid to speak. Frankly, he felt that the radio host could probably write this speech off as a charitable contribution, and he wouldn't have any complaint if he did.
The host took his seat, and Ripley stepped back up. After the previous speech, he didn't feel that there was anything he could say to add value to the eulogy. In show business, best to end on a high note, so he decided to wrap it up. "Well, I think that was a fine speech to end on. With that, we will conclude the service. I believe we have another hour or so before we need to close shop, so feel free to hang around if you feel the need. Otherwise, thank you all for attending. Good night."
After the service Ripley dimmed the light, though he had said for people to stick around if they wished, he did need them to clear out, and dimming the light could mean either the show was over or, depending on the venue, the show was just starting. In this case, it was the former. And while he dimmed the light, he left the area directly around the urn holding Seth's ashes alight. He felt this gave a sort of mystical vibe to the area, and he appreciated that the funeral home had made such amenities available.
Most of those in attendance did make their way out while grabbing some of the remaining food that was still available. There were a handful of people that remained: The host, who got caught up talking to many of the people as they made their way out; the parents who seemed uncomfortable; the two siblings; Roa and Mitch; as well as the blonde, who seemed rather out of place and probably only remained because Charley was her ride.
Once the hall was cleared of all others, those remaining took turns to say their final words to Seth. The first to step up was the host. "They say real heroes don't need recognition for their deeds, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't receive them. With so few these days, we cannot afford to let them go unnoticed. I hope you will forgive my impudence, but I do intend to make sure your story is known." He lowered his head and closed his eyes in a silent prayer. "Rest in peace, Seth."
As he departed and made his way out of the hall, Sue, Seth's mother, came forward. She must not have had much to say or at least nothing she could articulate in words. She just stood there for a long while. Ripley found this seeming display of formality off-putting. Surely it would have been in better taste if she had just left. Clearly, Seth's prejudice against his parents played into this though. However, he was forced to reconsider when she broke down crying. This went on for a while until her daughter came over and comforted her.
The next up was the father, who had dragged his wife along with him. The blonde looked both uncomfortable and slightly annoyed, though it did look like she was trying to conceal that latter fact. "You know Seth, I feel like I didn't even know you. All those years... where was I? I let you down, and now I will never be able to make it up to you. I'm a terrible father. Your contempt for me is justified. You probably didn't think I was aware, but I knew. The fact that I did nothing to make you think differently only displays how detestable I am. You deserved better... I'm sorry." He turned to walk away, a gloom hanging over him.
The next two to approach were the siblings, Lucas and Marisa. Lucas was usually the one to take charge, but in this situation, he didn't know how to act. He felt quite awkward talking to someone who wasn't there, so despite feeling like he should say something, he couldn't find the words. "Hello Seth," It was Marisa who broke the silence. "It really seems you got yourself into a pickle this time." With a tilt, she rested her head on her hand as she continued to speak, a somewhat hopeless expression on her face, the kind you make when a child misses the school bus, "Really, getting a piano dropped on you... Everyone knows you bring stage props in through the floor, not the ceiling." Lucas was finding these departing words in poor taste, but still, he felt that her last words to her brother should be uncensored. "Well regardless... I guess you would go out that way, you always did have a flair for the dramatic. And I suppose you did exchange your one life for two, so I guess I will forgive you..." It was at this point that Lucas became aware that tears were welling up in his sister's eyes.
"Seth..." Lucas diverted his face, "what you did was really despicable. I hope you are aware." Marisa turned her head to look at Lucas a bit surprised at the sudden words from her younger brother. "I can't fault you for doing what you did, though I would have thought someone as clever as you could have found a better way. But I can't help but think you didn't realize how much your life meant to us..." Tears were now welling in his eyes. He felt he needed to say something more, but couldn't find the words.
"What we are saying Seth, to those of us who knew you, you meant more than you will ever know." Marisa always could find the words in any situation, Lucas thought, tears now rolling down his cheeks, he always was the crybaby. "I hope whatever awaits you next... you won't be so blind." As Ripley watched the final words of the 2 siblings, he had to revise his initial take. Marisas seemed quite socially aware, and Lucas was a bit more meek than he initially seemed. After a brief silence, the two made their departure.
Roa came up next. It seemed she was waiting for the hall to clear out a bit before she made her way on over. "Seth... I don't know what to say. It seems we were both fools." She let a tearful laugh escape. "How different things could have been. Well... Perhaps I'm taking the optimistic outcome as canon, but still... At least no one would have died." She was now crying again, but she was still composed enough to speak. "You gave your life for mine... And it was my fault that any of this had to happen. If I could have just been bold and not gone along with Ripley's roundabout plan to get us together..." She couldn't continue, crying into her hands, she just stood there and wept.
This continued for what Mitch deemed an appropriate amount of time, before coming over and placing a hand on her shoulder. He didn't say anything, but after another moment, Roa regained a semblance of her composer. "I'm alright now Mitch."
"You need not worry for my sake, I just wish to lend you whatever support I can." She smiled through tear-filled eyes.
Ripley had been standing in the shadows, as he had since the first dimmed the lights. He had been watching the last mourners say the final words. He couldn't hear what was being said but could understand the sentiment from observing the body language. And it wasn't missed when he saw Roa take Mitch's hand. A rare wry smile played across Ripley's face. He was sure that if Seth was watching this (he wasn't), he would be wearing the same smile. But knowing his friend, he knew Seth would ultimately extend his blessing. After all, that was the kind of man he was.
"Thank you, Seth." Roa made her final remarks, perhaps a bit curt, but it conveyed her sentiments completely, and then stepped away. Mitch followed, giving a reverent nod to Seth's ashes. Then there was just Ripley.
He had waited for everyone to leave. Perhaps he was being selfish, but he wanted to have the last word with Seth for himself. He approached the memorial with his hands in his pockets, the coattails of his tux running behind. "Well Seth it was quite the night, and I've learned some valuable truths. I hope you can forgive me. Not because of the freak accident; no one can know the whims of circumstance, though I won't deny that I was an agent of those circumstances." He was leaning casually against the wall. Kind of as he would in the days when Seth was still flesh and blood. "I've always valued my word and kept my promises as if I was guarding the nuclear codes. Surely there could be nothing more important than keeping your word. I believed that until tonight..." He looked down, a melancholy smile now playing across his lips. "I deprived you both of something, something you both wanted, something that was in my power to grant but was kept from delivering by a promise that was made with your benefit in mind. I never thought that if the promise was contrary to the benefit it offered, then that promise might be better abandoned." He pushed himself off the wall and stood formally ahead of the memorial. "Seth, you are truly a great friend, even in death you manage to give me valuable wisdom I might not have otherwise received. I know not what awaits us beyond the veil of this mortal plane, I know not where you now venture. But know that whatever lies beyond, wherever you venture, know that you go with my deepest and most sincere blessings." The show, now over, he made his most regal pianist bow to the great man whose ashes he stood before. And with that, arms at his side, he turned and walked off the stage.