Mick's Memorial Day (One-shot, Rated G)

[MickLifeCrisis]

Bumping for the holiday.

Happy Memorial Day, everyone! And remember those who came before, so that we can enjoy the freedoms we have today.

[AggieVamp]

MLC -

this is a beautiful tribute for Memorial Day - and for our vampire to get forgivness from one of his best friends. Sad, but very beautiful.



Karen

[cassysj]

I love this story! I'm so glad Mick went and found peace and forgiveness. I'm also glad he brought Beth with him.

[MickLifeCrisis]

Thank you, AggieVamp and cassysj! I think Beth gives Mick the strength to finally face his past. And Ray's acceptance and forgiveness help Mick accept himself a little bit more.

[greenleaf9]

Oh MLC, this is so touching...

I'm very moved by this. It is a beautiful glimpse of Mick's soul.

[allegrita]

MLC, thank you for this wonderful story. My dad is almost the same age as Mick. He fought in WWII, and he comes from a little town where this kind of ceremony takes place every year, although he moved away after he got married to my mom. But that kind of thing doesn't leave you, even if you leave the town.

I'm very happy that you gave Mick the opportunity to make his peace with Ray's memory. What a dreadful burden for him to have to bear all those decades, all alone. It wasn't something he could share with Coraline, or even Josef. It was a human burden, one that only a human, someone who had been through something similar, could relate to. In a lot of ways, I feel that Mick's guilt over his perceived wronging of Ray was as heavy as his guilt over "monstrous" things he did as a vampire. He viewed his actions as that deep of a wrong to his friend.

I'm also happy that he invited Beth to go with him, and allowed her to see him unburden himself. For someone as private as Mick, that is a huge act of love and trust.

I loved the fact that there was another vampire there, under the tree with Mick. They didn't need to say anything. They both knew...

[starbucksjunkie]

This was just beautiful. You did a lovely job of weaving Mick and Ray's story with the meaning of Memorial Day. Well done!

[MickLifeCrisis]

Greenleaf, allegrita and SBJ, thank you so much for your lovely comments! It means a lot to me that this story touched so many of you.

[nutmegger911]

MLC, this is such a wonderfully rich piece. You've deftly interwoven so many elements of humanity... The keeping of traditions, the passing on of understanding... Forgiveness, love, rememberence... This is inspiring.

I love the high school kids, reciting and maybe not understanding, offset by Mick's silently mouthing the words. His explanation of the symbolism to Beth.

Beth slipped her arm through Mick’s as they watched the laying of the wreaths, one for each of the wars. They noticed the man beside them under the tree suddenly stand a little straighter when the wreath for World War I was laid. Mick himself stood a little taller when they laid the one for World War II.

This is classic. You've seen it at every veteran's ceremony, ever.

Mick and the other vampire under the tree nodded at each other, and they each walked their separate ways. Beth still had her arm in Mick’s. “That was a very moving ceremony, Mick. Thank you for bringing me.” She squeezed his arm. “And I think Ray was glad you came, too.” Mick untangled his arm from Beth’s and wrapped it around her shoulders instead, pulling her in tight to him. He kissed the top of her head.

“Yes, I think he was.”

The silent acknowledgment between the two remaining participants is so touching. It is not their vamparism that makes them kindred souls in this field. They know what they share and they know better than to trivialize it with mere words.

Also, that last paragraph ties it all together so nicely. Well done. Very well done.

[MickLifeCrisis]

Thank you very much, nutmegger! And your comment

The silent acknowledgment between the two remaining participants is so touching. It is not their vamparism that makes them kindred souls in this field.

is spot on. Thanks again.

[lorig]

Still love it my friend, still love it!!!

[jen]

Absolutely lovely. Thank you!

[MickLifeCrisis]

*Bumping for the 2010 holiday weekend*

I hope you all have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

[PNWgal]

So glad to see this one brought back to the top for Memorial Day, MLC. It was an honor to beta this one for you.

I found myself sniffling still when Mick talks to Ray, trying to explain what he'd done and why he had to leave, but by the time I got to the end of this paragraph, I was more than sniffling:

Mick squatted down. “Hey, Buddy,” he said softly, straightening a few flowers that didn’t need straightening. “I’m sorry I haven’t come before. I…I didn’t know what to say. I’ve always assumed that once we cross over to the other side, there are no more secrets. So you know what I am, and how I got this way, and also…” Mick’s voice cracked a little. “And also what I did. You have to know, we didn’t plan it. It just happened. I was helping her around the house, taking care of her like you asked me to. We both missed you so much. It…it made us feel connected to you, in a way.”

And I loved this:

Mick gave a nod to a man in his 40’s also under the tree. They recognized each other as kindred souls, and the man nodded back.

Beth slipped her arm through Mick’s as they watched the laying of the wreaths, one for each of the wars. They noticed the man beside them under the tree suddenly stand a little straighter when the wreath for World War I was laid. Mick himself stood a little taller when they laid the one for World War II.

Being a vampire doesn't change either man of being proud of serving his country.

A lovely piece, MLC - one you should be incredibly proud of.

[MickLifeCrisis]

Thanks for reading, Jen and PNWgal.

Pgal, it had been a long time since I had read this one and I got teary-eyed when Mick talked to Ray, too. Thank you for your lovely comments! I have always been pleased at how this one turned out.