Chapter One
No one knew what to expect. No one knew what to think. All anyone could think about was the fact that I was alive talking, laughing, and joking last week. Now today, they were here to bury me. Life was unpredictable like that at times.
My mother, accompanied by her husband, my brother, my sister, and my in-laws, walked into the church. They were deep in mourning. My mother dropped to her knees at the sight of my closed casket. Pictures of me filled the church. No parent wants to live the nightmare of outliving one of their children.
On top of that, I was her eldest. Each step closer to the casket brought back a different memory. She remembered the first day she brought me home from the hospital. My first step. My first day of school. My first grade-school crush. The day she caught me having sex. The day I graduated from high school. The day I graduated from Towson University. My wedding day. Finally, probably her most treasured memory, the night I performed in front of twenty-one-thousand screaming fans.
The tears poured down her face. She no longer tried to hold them back. Being the strength of our family, her emotion was just what most of the family needed. They needed that sense of it was OK to cry. It was OK to mourn the loss of a friend, relative, or confidant. Finally, she approached my casket, laid her arms across it, and did the only sane, rational thing that entered her mind. She prayed.
"Dear Heavenly Father, please look after my son as he makes the journey from the flesh into the spirit. Please guide him throughout and never leave his side as You've never left mine. Look after my family, Father, during our time of grief and give us the strength and the will to see us through. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen," she whispered as she lay still on my casket.
She felt a calm come over her spirit. Though she was deep in mourning, she knew that everything was in Christ's hands and she'd be alright. She wiped the remaining tears from her eyes and took her seat. The rest of my immediate family followed to pay their final respects. Finally, they sat down and watched as the church began to fill with friends and distant relatives.
At one, Reverend Young started the ceremony. Even in death I found a way to be late for something. The funeral should have started at eleven- thirty but it seemed as if the steady stream of people never stopped. The church was packed to capacity. I would have never thought I would have touched so many lives.
Reverend Young approached the podium. "Good afternoon, church! We are here today to celebrate the life of DeMarco Montreal Reid. Not to mourn his death, but to celebrate the life of a man who devoted his time and energy to bring laughter in the lives of anyone he came in contact with.
"I can remember the first time I attended one of his many sold-out shows. He had the audience literally in tears from laughter. What I remember most about the event was the way he used comedy to educate us on HIV, AIDS, and other social issues. He used his platform to educate, not merely for his own personal gain. That spoke volumes to me.
"He taught me that neither HIV nor AIDS are a death sentence. Simply twists and turns brought on by life. I can still hear him saying it now, 'Life is such a strong, powerful, but yet unappreciated word. Life!' He had the ability to bring many emotions out of anyone. He'd make you laugh. He'd make you cry. He'd make you angry. He'd make you happy. But most importantly, he'd make you think. He reminded us not to live for our future but rather in the present, since the future isn't promised to any of us.
"A lot of you are probably wondering, why? Why did the Lord have to take him away from us at such an early age? If you've come today seeking an answer, it will not come from me. Go to the Lord and He will not only provide you with the answer, but also give you the strength to see you through.
"Now I promised Brother Reid I wouldn't preach to you today. When he came in my office and laid down all these rules of how he wanted his funeral to go, I thought he must have been out of his mind. I just knew he was a couple cards short of a full deck. Then, I had to remember the type of man Brother Reid was. I hate to disobey his wishing but when Christ puts something on your heart you want the world to know.
"Go to Him! When you are up late at night and wondering why Marco is no longer here, call Him! When you are lying on the couch watching TV and you think about one of the many memories Marco left you with and the depression starts to set in, GO TO HIM! When life seems as if it has you down and the struggles of life won't let you back up, GO TO HIM.
"No matter what the cause, no matter what the occasion, no matter what the question or the situation go to Him and He will provide you the resolution. He will solve the problem! He will ALWAYS be in your corner. He ALWAYS will be on your side. Church, just pleaseŠ GO TO HIM!"
Reverend Young stepped back from the podium to the sound of "Amen's" and "Hallelujah's" throughout the church. Everyone was so caught up in her mini-sermon that no one even noticed the large overhead projection screen coming down.
"Let the church say amen!" I yelled to the audience on film. "I better not say that too loud. I don't want ReShonda suing me for using the title of her book. Hold up, I'm dead. What can she do? Let the church say AMEN!"
I cracked up with laughter on screen. Some of the audience joined me. They knew I was referring to the author, ReShonda Tate Billingsley, who wrote a very powerful novel called Let the Church Say Amen.
I calmed down and continued, "Everybody, cheer up! I know this is my funeral and all, but damn, my body isn't even cold or in the ground yet.
"Let me first apologize for not allowing anyone to say a few good things about me and speak on how I touched them and yada yada ya. No, I've always been different and I'm not going to stop now, not even in death. I don't want any of you crying. The ushers have instructions to escort anyone out of here who they spot crying.
"I'm just playing, but seriously, I'm in a much better place now. It's a little hotter down here than I thought. Okay, let me stop! Seriously though, it's nice up here. Me and Tupac are going to my Welcome to Heaven after-party over at Nat King Cole's jazz club tonight. The drinks could be a little better. All they serve is water or wine, no Remy.
"The wine is strong, I'll give them that, but you know how a brotha loves him some Remy. I can't complain too much, because Jesus sure does know how to throw a party; and the fish, man, the fish is off the hook. Talk about a fish fry, man, it's another level up here.
"Ma, you were right about Christ. Jesus is a black man. I wouldn't have known for real but then he got on the dance floor and it was official. My man can really cut a rug. I thought I'd lost my mind when he started the Electric Slide line over at Nipsy's club last night."
My cousin, Tia, burst out laughing loud enough for someone across the street to hear her.
"Tia, it's not that damn funny sweetie!" I said.
She stopped, astonished, wondering how I knew she was laughing from beyond the grave.
I continued, "I'm willing to bet my last dollar that Tia was the first one to start laughing hysterically. It doesn't matter where we are or how corny the joke is, Tia will find a way to laugh as if Eddie Murphy was on stage doing his rendition of Saturday Night Live or Delirious."
People in the audience started nodding their heads in agreement.
"We could be at a funeral and everyone is in there crying but she will find a way to laugh about something somebody said. Hold up! We're at a funeral right now. Humph!"
The crowd all laughed.
"But seriously folks, Tia, your laughter is needed throughout the world. You have the gift to be able to see the bright spot in the darkest of clouds. You never let anything get you down and always find a way to find the positive out of every situation. I love you for that."
"I love you too, boo," Tia replied as tears began to stream down her face.
"I hope all of us can follow Tia's example on how to deal with a crisis or a tragedy when you deal with my passing. Some of you will miss me, mostly because I owe a lot of y'all money but make this a happy occasion. I was able to do what the Lord placed me on this earth to do. Don't think about the fact that I won't be acting a fool at any more family reunions. Instead, remember the times I was able to share with all of you. If all else fails, be happy that I'm up here with Tupac and Marvin Gaye cutting a rug at Club Nazareth every Tuesday and Friday night."
People were really laughing now. My funeral seemed more like a show at a local comedy club instead of a funeral at church. People were laughing so hard they were gasping for air.
"Okay, I better stop before my mother tries to kill herself so she can come up here with her switch. Mama, don't do it! You can't come back if you do. There you go. See that smile on your face right now? That is how I want you to remember me, with that same smile. I want you to remember me as a man who would do anything to put a smile on someone's face, no matter what the situation.
"I know Reverend Young found a way to preach, even though I specifically told her not to. She probably broke out with the 'Look to the Lord' sermon she always uses; if she did, I also want you to look toward one another as well. Be there for each other and don't judge one another's faults. We are all family and without family we have nothing.
"When I lost Kalia, I no longer had the desire to live. My family tried to give me the strength to keep going but my eyes were closed and I didn't have the desire to open them. It wasn't until Lia spoke to me that I snapped out of it. After that, I saw the light. I had what I needed in order to move on and get past her death. Each one of you helped me to realize that it was alright to mourn her death, but also continue to live my life as she'd...
