Jake vouched for them, so that was good enough for Rodrick. He probably still had some reservations about this deep down however. I was the last one out. That was all fine with me. Billions of credits were still in my bank account. I was able to buy a suite at a nearby hotel. That allowed me to waste some time by myself before the small funeral. It was being taken care off, but it was not like it was getting all the frills and whistles. He would not be buried at the family funeral plot. Neither would Hunter for that matter. They would be cremated and the urn holding the ashes would go to anyone who wanted them. I got Emmanuel's address so I could go with him and Hunter. I arrived to a places reeking of booze. There were several people there that I did not recognize at all. It turned out that this was Emmanuel's crew. They had come over to cheer him up. Gambling and drinking seemed to be the method they chose. I smirked when I saw their cards on the table. "I wonder how many millions they managed to squeeze out of Hunter this time." I said out loud. This got some of them stirring awake.
None of them had to come. It was not their family member. Both Hunter and Emmanuel had washed up and were about ready to leave. A couple of the more responsible friends had the foresight to bring shitty suits and pairs of dark sunglasses to hid the fact their eyes were blood shot. The others that were awake said they would watch the house for him. The ones going to the funeral all got in Emmanuel's car. I followed behind them. We reached the church in time to see the hearse arrive with the body right behind us. The 6 pallbearers were Hunter, Rodrick, Emmanuel, and 3 of the deceased close friends. They carried the casket from the hearse and up the stairs of the church. A platform was waiting for them to rest it on. Once it was placed down properly, the priest put the cloth and a holy symbol I did not recognize over the casket made of dark wood. I watched as they helped wheel it down the center aisle. The priest performed the rites and allowed people to speak. Hunter tried but broke down in tears halfway through. Others spoke and soon it was over. The casket was taken back.
Once the ashes were prepared, those that wanted them could get them. As Hunter was his only child, it only made sense he would get the lion's share. There had been a request for some of the ashes however. It did not need to be spoken who that person was. It was his aunt. She was determined to keep a piece of her dear brother with her. I thought that was a lovely sentiment. Hunter had agreed. It was going to take a couple of days. I invited him to stay in the hotel suite with me. Emmanuel probably needed his own time to grieve. Jake and the AEP units decided to stay moving on. They had stayed for the ceremony and there was no reason to overstay their welcome here. One thing he did do was burn those memories he had talked about down on some media chips. They were a 1st person recording of all the moments Jake had seen Hunter's father. He handed it to Hunter. Hunter looked at his 3 cousins. "Can we... watch it together tonight!?" he asked with tired eyes. They nodded. We said our goodbyes to Jake and the AEPs as they began walking away. That was actually nice.
