Page 122 of Life To My Flight

Some of the older folks in the crowd found the song horrific; me, I found it perfect.

It perfectly expressed Tunnel’s love for life flawlessly.

“That’s Tunnel for you,” Viddy said as she placed a bag of sliced cheese into the fridge beside the other four.

“What got to me was the twenty one gun salute. When Sienna started calling for her daddy when she heard the gun shots, it damn near killed me,” I said sadly.

They all agreed with me.

Hell, even a few of the men wiped a tear or two away after that one.

The door behind us opened, causing us all to turn and watch as Cleo walked into the kitchen.

He looked tired.

His eyes were all for me.

“You ready to go, babe?” He asked.

I nodded. “Yeah, just let me finish putting all this up, and then I’ll meet you outside? Okay?”

He nodded, ruffled Viddy’s hair, and left.

It didn’t take me long to finish.

Each of us took some of the nearly forty bags of food with us. Mina had already left with Sienna, and her own ten bags of food.

“Alright, ladies. I’ll see y’all later,” I called my goodbye.

A chorus of bye’s were called to my back, and I lifted my hand with two sacks of food, and started towards where I heard Cleo’s voice.

I found him in the main room, standing with DP and Cord as he told them about Tunnel.

“He sounded like a good man,” DP said softly.

“He was,” I agreed.

They turned and smiled at me.

“I’m ready,” I stated the obvious.

They each walked towards me, divesting me of my bags.

“Y’all staying with us?” I asked as I walked between the two men, with Cleo at my front, leading the way.

They each nodded. “Yeah, the hotels were booked solid. So it’s couch and air mattress night at the Caruso residence,” Cord said dryly.

I gave him a wink. “We can build a fort in the living room and have a pillow fight.”

Cleo gave me a look over his shoulder and I zipped my mouth up tight.

Once we reached Cleo’s truck, he opened the door for me and stowed the multiple bags in the floorboard.

The other two men got into another vehicle, a few car lengths away, and drove out of the parking lot without waiting.

“Where are they off to in such a hurry?” I asked in surprise.

“Beer. Lots and lots of beer. This day calls for getting drunk,” Cleo explained as he walked around the front of the truck and got in.

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