March

Apparently Louis Bayard’s novel suggests that Lem made exceptions for Jack’s evil because of who he was socio-economically. …I think there was something to be said for that but…it’s far more complicated than one might think.

“Hey! Isn’t it weird that Lacey’s name was Karrie Linn? …Funny. Both my father and uncle named daughters after her accidentally or intentionally.” says David.

“Why ever would they do that?!” asks Joe Jr..

“Hmm. Joe, didn’t we name a kid after you too?” asks Bobby Sr..

“Who got closer? Me or you?” asks Jack of Bobby.

“Kerry is closer to Lacey and that’s who I actually am. Caroline is beautiful and traditional and more literal. It’s debatable.” says Lacey.

“How did that spiritually seep into our family should we be real ghosts and Joe have loved you?” asks Bobby Sr.. “You know what else…I tried to include Lem too.”

“You were being very diplomatic, should it be true.” says Lacey. “Very kind.”

“Was someone dead mad at Lem though? Because it’s the middle name to Michael.” says a ghost in Minnesota.

“Or, should saints influence us via the Holy Spirit, was he simply just trying to encourage more diplomacy?” asks Lacey.

“Bobby if you’d stayed alive would you have had two more sons and named them Harold and Louis? Or one named Louis Harold?” jokes a dead Catholic.

“Lou Kennedy. That’s nice.” says Louis thoughtfully.

“My last name was Hill.” says someone who would have found it odd while alive too.

“Where am I?” asks Harold.

David laughs. “Don’t ask, Harold.”

“You wanted everyone invited to your birthday party as a child, Bobby.” says an English woman smiling. “Didn’t you?”

“I was also a kind little boy.” says Bobby. “Who wanted everything to work out and everyone to get along.”

“It was smart to name them after me-Except…Well, they’re lovely names. Caroline is gorgeous. Far prettier than Carrie spelled wrong with a K. And Kerry is what I should have been…” says Lacey. “However…should a dead Karrie exist…I do apologize to her. I’m not trying to insult her name.”

“Maybe she’s Kari or Karen.” says an American-Norwegian woman. “Should she exist.”

Dreams by Fleetwood Mac plays.

Joe Jr. looks at Lacey. He laughs.

“It was to honor you. Wasn’t it? Secretly.” says Lacey.

“That’s an awful thought. Isn’t it?” says Joe to Lacey.

“And maybe watching Jack I started to grieve in my spirit, as a Christian, my family’s most vile sins. While alive.” says Bobby. He thinks. “I mean, it was to honor Lem that we named Michael after him.”

“That’s nice. I would have named him Kirk Michael.” says Teddy Roosevelt.

“But he went by Lem.” says a living woman.

“True. I did.” says Lem smiling.

“Why did they leave you with everyone? That’s so odd…” says Lacey to Lem. She’s tired this morning.

“I know what you mean.” he says. “They assumed I wouldn’t steal anyone’s wife or girlfriend. …And I didn’t. Really. I was always a gentleman.” He sighs. “I mostly thought I was gay, but…that wasn’t what stopped me. I just was a decent, reticent man.”

“And yet with Lacey you weren’t.” says Bobby.

“True. I couldn’t be.” says Lem.

Lacey worries. “The point is, Lem saw both Jackie and Jack as different.” She thinks. “Jack was…glorious. Like Joe. Like Greek or Roman gods. And so was Jackie.”

“It bothered me to see women hurt, but I figured they sometimes were…whores. Women who genuinely didn’t care or chose not to. …And Jack bullied me, believe it or not. Covertly. Passively. …And…like Lacey most of it, or a lot of it, was missed by me consciously. I felt inferior. Lacey…has very little ego. …I shouldn’t say that I hate them. But…I don’t like what Jack and Joe did to our brains.” says Lem.

“Both claiming secretly to love you.” says Joe Sr.. He laughs.

Bobby cries. He cries like a real man can cry. Silently. Bravely. Piously.

Jesus cried.

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