Daily Flash Fiction Challenge

The curtain that concealed my family’s secrets was finally pulled at my granny’s funeral today. All I could do was laugh.

From a young age, I was exposed to my family’s trifling secrets. My memories go back to my married uncle having to explain his “friendship” with our first-grade teacher. I walked in on them during spring conferences that year. Fast forward to 6th grade when I saw my aunt stealing out of the grocery store, a regular thing. My silence was paid for by many Snickers bars that year. Finally, mom lost the car over a gambling debt and convinced my dad the car was stolen. Really?

Over the years of one incident after another, my granny silently watched and listened. My guess is she stopped trying to talk to her hardheaded kids many years ago. I always wondered what she thought about their behavior. Did she see what I saw? Did she know what I knew?

My questions were answered at the “Special Recognition” part of the service. A strange man approached the podium with a book in his hand. Amid total silence, he proceeded to read all the scandalous secrets of her children, including my mom. The tension was broken by angry screams, hollering, and laughter. At the end, the man’s last spoken words were hers, “I love you all anyways.” He walked out as fast as he walked in. Looks like my granny washed her hands of it all when going home to be with the Lord.

She kept track of everything. She understood. I love her for it.

I guess that’s the sharp sword of holding the family together. Gotta take the deep cuts and love them all the same.