Funeral for a Good Friend by Tomlin Martinson

The pastor says we are sinners, all of us. We who only came to say goodbye to our dead friend. Jon was not what we would have called a religious man. But he rarely cursed, and never slighted anyone. He made time for those in trouble.

The fires of hell wait for those who refuse the word. 

Jon’s wife sits with her friends near the pulpit; her eyes never leave the holy man who gazes toward the ceiling, as though it might collapse at any moment. When the cancer came back it ravaged Jon, thinned him out. We visited him to keep spirits high all around, pretended the old jokes were still funny. We said he would beat this thing and be back with us soon enough. On his hospice bed he talked about how the pain burned. We told his wife we would come again and she asked when. But we never went back.

Woe to them, for they are hypocrites.

At a bar we hoisted toasts in his name, mindful to drink the beer he loved. You can be friends for years without knowing what someone believes in. You can believe it is better that way. 

We listen, but there is no praise for Jon, only chapter and verse, an Old Testament thunder quaking the little chapel. No tears that we can see from his relatives, only noses high in righteousness, and gloved hands trembling in awe. Dust floats in the shafts of light that infiltrate the room’s heavy curtains.

The pastor moves near the coffin to stand by our friend’s body, and looks with narrow eyes into this pit of nonbelievers as he prepares to invoke. We turn away to remember Jon the way we’d prefer.

Who is ready to repent? 

Artist’s Statement

In my work and life I'm always looking for opportunities to challenge my beliefs, and especially my preconceptions about others. This particular story is based on something that happened many years ago that I eventually realized was perfect for that purpose.

Tomlin Martinson is a writer in western Washington. He has been a journalist, taxi driver, short-order cook, graphic artist, and writing teacher, among other low-paying jobs. He’s had two novels published by indie houses. His Quordle streak currently stands at 101.