The gravesite inside Mount Pillar Cemetery was surrounded by half of Vanmer’s population. The Viper football players wore their jerseys and officials of the ESFL were dressed in their uniforms. Three giant black tents surrounded Jamie Bodice’s grave and sheltered onlookers. Relatives and friends stood under the tents, protected from the rain.
Francine clutched my right hand within her left one. We stood next to the mahogany casket, the deep grave, and Father Adolf Mercer, a thin and gaunt man who looked like a vampire and close to four hundred years old. To my left was a plump middle-aged woman who smelled like dandelions. I learned quickly that it was Careesa Bodice, Jaimie’s beloved aunt from Columbus, Ohio. Surrounding us were unfamiliar family members with the same pudgy frames as Car
