Integrity Funeral Home - In the Middle of the Covid-19 Pandemic

"What do you mean you don't serve your husband?" a voice echoed through the hallway

"Aye, luckily I never HAD a husband!" a familiar Irish brood responded

"Did you not have a beau? I would have thought a lady of your age, from your time would have had a gentleman caller."

"Oi Vey no, I was to concerned with taking care of my little sister and staying fashionable. I was a mere teenager."

"Well when I was sixteen, I was already betrothed to my high school sweetheart! We were wed one month after graduating." the woman huffed and crossed her arms, her victory rolled hair framed her face so elegantly.

"Yea, and how well did that do for you?"

"We were married for a wonderful forty years,"

"Aye, but was it really?"

"I had three wonderful children."

"Not what I asked Betty Crocker."

"Well, what your asking is personal. My husbands drinking problem was non of mine or yours business."

"Please tell me how you died my dear." A sweet and wobbly voice cut the tension, "No need to say that is private, as we all have a death story here."

Crystal slowly slipped down the hallway towards the reception room, and peered inside. A gathering of women stood in a large circle, all with various era's of clothing and hair styles, accents and body styles. A woman stood towards the head of the circle, her arms crossed around her body, her pressed button down blouse tucked neatly into her long ankle length skirt, and a delicate apron tide neatly around her waist. Her gentle pumps and simple necklace finished her outfit nicely, and paired well with her victory rolled up hair.

"That is PERSONAL, gosh don't you ladies have any privacy at all?" she gasped and brought her slender hand adorned with a single stone ring to her chest.

A little old lady chuckled, her plump body jiggled in her floral dress that hung the floor, and buttoned all the way up to her neck. Plain white flat shoes made the white of the flower petals pop, and matched the white scarf that held her back and clean. A simple chain with a cross peeped out from under her dress collar.

"My dear" her voice wavered a bit, "We are all dead, there is no privacy any more, strangers have seen our unclothed bodies, our modesty is gone. Family and friends attended our services and gazed upon the shells and husks we left behind, yet we stay. The most we can do with our time now is talk, so please, tell us what hath caused your soul to depart from your living home?"

the woman hung her head and sighed, "Fine. My name is Amanda, and I died by a combination of Valium and Vodka, and my husband beating me." she looked around, "My body was so weak by the constant use of Valium, that the doctors kept prescribing me to deal with the depression of living with a man who constantly beat me, and of course told me I needed to be a better wife, and the beatings would stop, and Vodka would help ease the pain, but thinned out my blood. One night, I was fifteen minutes late with dinner, due to having a doctor appointment, put me behind schedule. I had sent the kids to bed after supper, and my husband came around the corner with his belt off. First it was the belt beatings that hurt so bad. I thought he was done, and I took my pills with a glass of Vodka and juice, but then he came back with his fist. The last thing I remember hearing him say was, this should teach you a lesson on timing." she looked away and sighed, "The timing was horrible. Nothing ever happened to my husband, he remarried, and beat her too."

"Aye, that is awful. No woman should have to put up with that sort of abuse." Kathryn said stepping up, "The woman today have it much better than we did in our time."

"You are all a bunch of lazy bitches!" a voice cracked in.

Crystal turned her head to the other side of the room, a woman who looked about mid forties stood there, her black slacks and light blue blouse seemed of a newer fashion. Her shoulder length hair laid flat against her head and her bosom showed gently through her top that was unbuttoned enough to show a fair amount of cleavage.

"Letting men beat you, thinking running away will change a parents mind, being controlled, We woman stand up for ourselves now! We don't put up with shit and let them control our bodies!"

"Alright there Margie, tell us how you joined our ranks" Kathryn said in a huff

"I just caught the flu, the world has blown this damn flu way out of proportion." Margie snapped

"Died of the flu? When? the 1930's?" the elderly woman asked

"Pfft no, two months ago you old broad."

"Do people die of the flu still?" Kathryn asked

"Well obviously so stupid bitch."

"Aye, you best be watchin yer mouth girly, we may be dead, but we can surly make the after life living hell fer ya." Kathryn's accent thickened.

Crystal stepped in, "Margie? You died of Covid."

"Pfft Covid is a myth! It is just a freaking flu."

"No, it's not, and it is what took you out. It almost killed your husband and your son too."

"Its fake, and that stupid vaccine is fake too, its just a way for the government to spy on you, and put tracking shit in your body."

A woman stood up and walked towards her, "I thought the small pox Vaccine was a government conspiracy too, and how well did that help me?"

"You guys were stupid, and she is just as brainwashed as the other sheeple." Margie thumbed towards Crystal, "Stupid, Stupid sheeple!"

Margie threw her hands up in the air and stormed off, everyone looked at each other in shock, but a tiny voice broke the silence.

"I wish people were not so mean" a small girl stepped up, her knee length dress swished around her, and her long blonde hair slightly framed her face.

"It is real... I was in the hospital for so long, and I had a tube stuck in my throat." she held her hand up to her neck, "I could breath, I was so scared. My Daddy and Mommy cried outside of my room for days, they were not allowed in with me."

The room stayed quiet as all eyes were on the little girl, "I died alone." she finally said after a moment, "And my parents could not hug me, they couldn't bring me my teddy bear, or flowers or anything." Her face flashed quickly with anger and she stopped her Mary-Jane clad foot, "And SHE is trying to say its not real!!!" she screamed and fell to the ground.

Kathryn and the older woman ran to the girl and held her together.

"Shhh ya wee thing, it's ok, some people do not understand." Kathryn whispered

"My darling girl, Margie is just a mean lady and doesn't understand how words can hurt someone so... come to granny, me and Miss Kathryn got ya girly."

"It's not fair... I miss my mommy and daddy." she sniffed and buried herself into the two.

Crystal wiped her eye as a tear streamed down her cheek, and took the moment of silence to slip out of the room.

"That's what people don't see, the other side of the effect of Covid." she whispered to herself, "Everyone thinks it's a government conspiracy, and flap their gums about all their feelings so much, they fail to see what and who it is effecting." she put her bag next to her desk and sat down.

Pulling up her computer to check the emails that came in over night, she counted quietly and gasped, picking up the phone receiver, she dialed the Managing Partner,

"Sarah... ten calls overnight, every single one of them, Covid."

the voice on the other end of the line sighed, "We are in the storm."