My Big Fat Greek Funeral
I am too tired to use grammar so here is an impression of the funeral, which happened today. Everything is very surreal being back here and tomorrow I get on a plane at 7:30 in the morning and go back to Boston how strange how strange.

My family and friends are all very close. There is a lot of close. Everyone was crying I wasn’t crying very hard but the worst part was when they talked about Gus and when frankie was sobbing and then they showed pictures and i was crying there was a picture of papous holding me when i was a very little baby and then avery cried much more than i, and bob our neighbor who is my favorite neighbor and a very good man went up to the casket and cried and walked away very fast with a red face, and avery didnt want to go up to the casket but i went because dad needed company i think then we went to the graveyard in procession and put papous where he would be buried, then we all went to our house. and then I was surrounded by good solid old world people and it was full of the man who lived the American dream and olive accents and men with large noses and middle aged men talking like they were in high school, and food and food and stories and lots of back rubbing and embracing and kisses on checks and foreheads and there were three red carnations one for gus and one for arsenius and one for grammie to press to her chest with the golden greek orthodox cross the father gave her. And the father was old and had a cane and a sore ankle, and we sang like they do in temple and the grave was placed alongside all the other other greek names, and next to gus, and aunt Scotty and I held hands very tightly and she said “you would have liked him. He was a special one you would have liked your uncle gus very much” and I said that’s what people say to me and then I started shaking a little before that there was the big portrait of papous that usually hangs in grammies house in ojai but now it was on an easel next to lots of flowers, and when my dad got up to speak he was eloquent and composed and wonderful, and I loved him so much and he is the best dad in the world, and then uncle phil came up and broke down, and started crying, and then we all went up and hugged and said goodbye and comforted each other, and later there was lots of eating and laughing and drinking wine and greek beer and ouzo, and tzetsiki and hummus and grape leaves and bread and beans and I was very tired and avery and I spent the whole day cleaning and serving and I drank coffee and served it and talked to cousins and second counsins and greek great uncles and my great aunt freida who was kind and very greek and very motherly, and I talked about school and boston with the middle aged men and women who had come for dad and mom, and I talked with Wilfred and Giesla, who were our neighbors for a long time, who are from Germany, and they are so good and so old world and the whole place was full of eastern Europe and hardy, good, kind men and smart, strong, helpful women and the mingling of voices and generations and I think Orson would have been proud.