GOODBYE MARYANN!

As I sat waiting for the Little Woman (TLW), across from me was a church, sitting majestically at the end of the oldest pedestrian open-air mall in the US in Cape May, NJ. The church takes in many visitors from out of town every year during the summer months, as well as its regular sinners who go to pray there.

It struck me that with all the tourism: it must be difficult for the church to conduct a funeral service there with all that foot traffic and curiosity seekers who visit the church. It also occurred to TLW as she joined me on the bench, and noticed a hearse parked at the very end of the pedestrian mall near the church.

MARYANN'S RIDE

“I’m going inside the church and look around” she said as she took off. She climbed the steps like there was a shoe sale going on, and I just folded my arms and took a snooze in the open crisp air of the beautiful September morning and continued to wait for our tour to start of historic Cape May.

Bouncing off the steps as she left the Chiesa del Madonna della Mare, she began to describe her reconnoitering.

“They have some pictures and flowers and things in the front of the altar, and a TV screen in the back that invites you to watch highlights of MaryAnn’s life in the back.” She reported. Just then a gentleman in a somber mood and equally somber attire, moved through the mid-morning crowd toward the church holding a small square silver box.

“Ah! MaryAnn has arrived!” I exclaimed and TLW agreed.

“I wonder where Mary Ann came from?” I asked, “and if they will have a memorial then ship her back to maybe Florida or somewhere else in the world?” I continued.

We discussed that maybe MaryAnn lived here once, was a big mocker in the church and then retired to Florida to live and die.

“Do you think they will scatter the ashes since there is no urn?” I asked.

“Well, you know Daphne who works with me? She said they wanted to bury some ashes in the cemetery in a grave of another deceased person, and it was too expensive, so they are going to bury the ashes when no one is looking!” TLW continued.

“Wait a minute Gracie!” I said with my best George Burns imitation without the cigar, “Daphne is going to sneak the ashes of someone dead into the cemetery, and then look around to make sure no one is looking, dig a hole on a grave site and pour in the ashes like she was cleaning her bar-b-q, then taking off!”

I’d give anything to see that, in fact: I’d love to report the event to you on this blogue, how many blogs give you that?

Turns out, MaryAnn was having a big sendoff, as cars starting arriving in large numbers, taking over the side streets.