Scene Song: "The Funeral" ~ Band Of Horses

~ Christmas Day ~ Peter's Funeral ~

As Kevin stood in the mirror in the guest bathroom of the McCallister house, he stared at his reflection and at his long, blond hair tied tightly into a ponytail. He stared at the black suit he was wearing and before long, tears were clouding his eyes as he remembered -

~ Flashback ~ Kevin & Peter when Kevin was six years old

Six year old Kevin stood in front of his dad as his dad was teaching him how to tie his tie. It was the morning of the funeral of his father's aunt.

"Dad why do people die?" Kevin asked.

Peter sighed and frowned for a brief second as he continued tying Kevin's tie.

"Well Kev," Peter began, "sometimes people die because it's just their time. They live long and fulfilling lives here on Earth and then after they're finished with their journey of living here on Earth, they travel to the next world, the next life, the next adventure."

"So but when our loved ones die, does that mean they leave us?" Kevin asked.

"No Kev," Peter said. "Even though they die, they never leave us. They'll always be with us, where ever we go."

"So that means when you die, you'll always be with us too?" Kevin asked.

"Yup." Peter said with a sigh as he finished tying Kevin's tie and had knelt in front of him, "but you don't have to worry about that for a long, long time. I'm going to be around until you get in your seventies and are old, gray and as wrinkled with liver spots everywhere."

"Liver spots?! Ugh!" Kevin said with a laugh that was shared with Peter.

As Peter stood to his feet, he kissed Kevin on the top of the head and patted him on the back before walking away.

~ End Flashback ~

As Kevin continued staring at his reflection in the mirror, tears streamed, tears of sadness regarding the fact that he'd never have another conversation with his father again.

"Kevin, the car's here, let's go!" Kate said from downstairs.

As Kevin wiped his streaming tears away, he turned and walked out the bathroom.

As Kevin rode in the back of the funeral car with Kate, Linnie, Buzz, Meghan and Jeff, Kevin stared quietly out his window, a million thoughts running through his mind, a million thoughts, a million emotions, a million feelings.

Scene Song: "One Sweet Day" ~ Mariah Carey/Boyz II Men

With a single rose in his hand, Kevin stood with what seemed like endless rows of family and friends at Old South Cemetery. The words the minister was speaking seemed to only sound like gibberish in Kevin's ears. Throughout the entire funeral, all that was replaying in Kevin's mind, was the many visuals of his father, from his father's smile, to his laugh, to the sound of his voice, to the words of advice and concern that his father would often give to him, and the more Kevin thought of it, the more it made Kevin nauseous, nauseous with grief and emotional pain.

And as Kevin saw the minister close his bible, tears streamed from his eyes. Shit, Kevin knew what that meant. It meant that it was over. This was the end. After a few seconds, as the family and friends started to turn and leave, Kevin remained there, staring at his father's white, shiny coffin. He couldn't leave, like a child not wanting to leave his father's side, Kevin couldn't leave.

Kate walked back over to Kevin and touched his arm before hugging him to her.

"Come on honey." Kate said with a tearful voice.

"Give me a few minutes mom, please." Kevin said in a low, tearful voice.

Kate nodded and patted Kevin on the back before walking away to give him his time. As the area cleared from all family and friends, Kevin took off the sunglasses he had been wearing to hide the pain and grief that was locked in his eyes and took steps towards Peter's coffin.

"Dad," Kevin said in a low, tearful voice. "I – didn't know what to say, or if I'd even say anything today but I wrote something down in case I had the bravery to speak and well, I guess I do."

Kevin pulled a folded paper out of his black jacket and unfolded it.

"Dad," Kevin began to read, "I'm sorry I never told you, all I wanted to say.
Now it's too late to tell you, because you've gone away. I never imagined living without your smile, but feeling and knowing that somehow, where ever you are, you can hear me right now, is what's keeping me strong, strong enough to say all of this. I just – I remember what you told me once when I was a kid. You said that even though our loved ones die, they'll always be with us and I just – dad, I hope that's true. Even though you're gone, I hope you'll always be with me where ever I go because that'll ease the hurt and that'll ease the pain that I'll have at times when I think back and remember that my father is gone."

As Kevin wiped streaming tears away, he folded the note back and tucked it back into his black jacket.

"I love you dad," Kevin said in a tearful voice. "I always will. Goodbye dad, Peter - John."

As Kevin dropped the single rose in his hand down onto Peter's coffin, he turned and walked away, away towards the funeral car that held the rest of his family, away towards the ending of a chapter, a story that permanently ended with the death of his father.

In Memory of John Heard

March 7, 1946 ~ July 21, 2017

R.I.P.