Well - Part XXI

I arrived in Danbury around 3:30 in the afternoon. I knew Cheryl’s classes wrapped up around that time but it would likely be another hour before she would be returning to her apartment.

My plan (if I truly had one) was to buy some flowers and be waiting in the parking lot of her condominium complex when she returned home. I stopped off at a florist and selected a dozen roses and had them wrapped and sitting on the passenger seat of my car when I pulled into her complex. I figured that I was at least a half hour early but, I wanted to be in position and leave no chance of missing the full effect of my element of surprise.

As fate would have it though, it was I who was surprised.

When I pulled into the area around her building, I noticed that her car was already there. That was odd, I wondered inwardly if she had taken ill and had left early for the day. I figured that I had missed my surprise in the parking lot but, accepted that, scooped up my bouquet of flowers and entered her building almost skipping through the lobby to the elevator.

When I knocked at her door, I was surprised that an older man answered it and stood in the hallway looking quizzically at me standing there flat footed with my flowers in hand.

The man was Cheryl’s dad (I had never met him before) as this was being explained to me, I also met two of Cheryl’s cousins, her great aunt and two uncles. It was then that I heard the news about Cheryl’s brother being killed.

I almost wanted to hide the flowers but, that awkwardness passed. The room was full of nothing by sorrow and despair (her great aunt seemed to want to do nothing more than wail on the couch over and over).

I immediately felt like a cad with my flowers and thoughts of carnal pursuits. Cheryl introduced me as “her boyfriend” (I was an official boyfriend) and an ex-classmate at Danbury High. Her family acknowledged me but obviously had a lot on their minds. I decided quite quickly that it probably would be best if I let them be and I had every intention of doing just that if not for the imploring gaze I received from Cheryl when I mentioned that I vocalized just that.

“Please Jim, stay with me for awhile. I don’t want to be alone.” I didn’t have the heart to point out that she was anything but alone be surrounded by that much family in a relatively small condominium. I was also privately thrilled that she asked me to stay.

I had never known Cheryl’s brother. He was a couple of grades behind us in High School and I rarely traveled outside of my small circle of friends anyway. I felt horrible for Cheryl. The fact that they already knew that he died from “friendly fire” added even more tragedy to this event.

As the evening passed, more family showed up. It seemed Cheryl had what became to be the family headquarters for this tragedy. Just before mid-night, the last of the family left and I offered to Cheryl that we step out for some coffee and a distraction.