Chapter 13

"Roses For Rosemary"

That evening, Jasper drove to the church nearby to attend Rosemary’s funeral. He was dressed in his finest steampunk suit, the one Rosemary had begged him to wear when they went to the priest to get their marriage papers signed. The priest recognized Jasper, and they talked for awhile, the priest giving Jasper words of God to help Jasper through his struggle.

All Rosemary’s closest friends and family gathered in the small church for a simple ceremony. Jasper didn’t know anyone at the ceremony, and that made him even sadder, if that was possible. Jasper sat in the very back corner of the church by himself, and he put his knees to his chin and cried. After the priest spoke for awhile, then he called up Jasper to give a speech about his lost love. Jasper got himself together and made his way to the front of the small room. He walked with a proud stride and stood straight with his hands behind his back.

“I don’t recognize anyone in this room,” Jasper began, “so you probably don’t recognize me. I am Jasper Watts of the well-known Watts family, and I am the widowed husband of Rosemary Jones.”

A mass of disappointed gasps rose throughout the room, and Jasper continued.

“When I was a child, me parents died. I was left with no one, and I lived in the Watts mansion by meself. One morning, I went to a small diner for breakfast. As I sat there all alone, I heard a sweet voice next to me. I was wearing this same top hat, and a young girl took it off me and said, ‘You shouldn’t be wearing this. It hides your face’. The girl had bright red hair and the deepest green eyes I have ever seen. Her name was Rosemary.”

Jasper swallowed a sob, but his voice still cracked.

“Rosemary and I got to know each other, and she eventually moved in with me in me mansion. Night after night, we would sit in bed together and listen to all the sounds in the old house. On me twenty-second birthday, Rosemary’s present to me was telling me that she was going to have my baby. Another present she gave me that same day was saying ‘yes’ when I asked her to marry me. We got married and prepared to have a baby of our own. I loved her so much, and she loved me back. I spent every moment of my time with her, but two weeks ago, God took my love from me. I don’t know why He did it, but He did. I was there when she and our beautiful baby died, and I was a very lucky man to have held her hand as she exhaled her last breath.”

As Jasper spoke, his audience began to cry.

“I’m sure you’re all wondering what her last words were. I knew that I didn’t have much more time with her, so I told her to close her eyes and not to be afraid. There’s an old Beatles song called “All My Loving”, and I sang her the first verse of that song. Very softly, she sang to me, ‘And while I’m away, I’ll think of you every day, and I’ll send all my loving to you’. Those were her last words. I don’t mean to bore you and keep you too long, but I just want to say that I am forever grateful that I got to love her, that I got to marry her, and that nature gave me the honor to put a baby in her stomach. She is the most special woman I have ever met and that I ever will meet, and no one can replace my beautiful Rosemary and my beautiful baby girl.”

A few tears dripped down Jasper’s cheeks, and everyone clapped for him. He sat down in the same corner he was in and burst into sobs as the rest of the ceremony continued.

After the church had emptied out after the funeral, Jasper was the only one who remained. He sat in the last row for awhile, thinking fondly of Rosemary. Rosemary and the baby had been put in the same coffin, and the coffin sat on a decorated table at the front of the church. Jasper’s eyes drifted up to the coffin, and he gazed at the coffin for awhile. Finally, he stood up, walked over to the coffin, and laid his hands on it.

“I will love you both forever,” Jasper whispered with a grateful smile. He stood at the coffin for a moment longer, then he walked over to the grand piano that was sitting at the front of the church. He looked at the piano, then sat down. He played all the scales and cracked his knuckles. Then, he began to play Rosemary’s favorite song, “Today”, by Jefferson Airplane. He played brilliantly without any mistakes, but his singing voice wasn’t the best. He didn’t care. He sang anyway. For the first time since Rosemary died, Jasper felt happy. He smiled as he sang and played, and he practically felt Rosemary’s gentle hands on his shoulders as he played.

When Jasper finished his first song, he thought for a moment, then he began to play a song from Rosemary’s favorite band, The Rolling Stones. “Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby?” was his song of choice, and he played the piano with wild abandon. He had played the piano since he was five years old, and he had mastered the instrument long ago.

Jasper’s Rolling Stones songs rambled on as he flew through “The Last Time”, “Ruby Tuesday”, “Mercy Mercy”, “Get Off Of My Cloud,” and “Ride On Baby”. He felt like he was on the top of the world and that Rosemary was dancing next to him. As he played “Hitch Hike”, he thought he heard the doors of the church creak open, but he didn’t stop playing. Once he finished the song, he put his hands in his lap and took a deep breath. A soft British voice behind him suddenly said, “If you keep on playing like that, you’re going to set that piano on fire.”

Jasper turned around on the piano stool and realized who exactly was standing behind him. A young man with blonde hair, brown eyes, and flamboyant clothing smiled at Jasper, but Jasper just stared at him. The unmistakable guitarist Brian Jones stood in the back of the church. Jasper stood up and muttered, “Dear God.”

“How’d you do, fella?” asked Brian. Jasper replied, “Um, okay, I guess.”

Brian walked towards Jasper, and the two shook hands. Brian said, “You’re very good. How long have you been playing?”

“Uh, let me think,” replied Jasper. “Seventeen years.”

“Ooh, impressive.”

“Thank you.”

Brian walked over to the coffin set on the table and asked, “Who’s in the box?”

Jasper stood next to the coffin with Brian and answered sadly, “My wife and baby.”

Brian gaped at him, then said sincerely, “Well, fella, I’m so sorry.”

Jasper slipped back into depression as Brian asked, “What happened?”

“My baby was stillborn, and my wife died giving birth to her.”

Brian took his unique white hat off and said, “How awful. You poor guy.”

Jasper felt sobs rising in his throat, but he swallowed them, knowing that he simply couldn’t cry in front of such a celebrity. Jasper chuckled sadly and said, “It’s funny you came here the day of her funeral.”

“Why?” Brian asked. Jasper replied, “My wife loved you. She thought you were incredibly handsome, and any time she would see pictures of you in the newspaper or in magazines, her cheeks would turn red.”

Brian laughed, put a hand on the coffin, and replied, “Well, that’s funny. I wish I could’ve met her.”

“She was such an amazing girl,” Jasper said fondly. Brian asked, “What was her name?”

“Rosemary. Rosemary Jones, actually.”

Brian smiled and said, “I wonder if we’re related.”

“She actually used to think about that. If someone was ever rude to her, she would always tell them, ‘You should respect me. I could be related to Brian Jones’.”

“I’ll meet her one of these days,” said Brian. Jasper nodded and replied, “So will I. I can’t wait.”

Brian looked at Jasper and asked, “What’s your name, fella?”

“Jasper Watts,” replied Jasper. Brian thought for a moment, “The Watts?”

“Yep, those Watts.”

Brian chuckled and said, “I always teased Charlie Watts about being a cheap Watts. He’s not part of that family.”

Jasper smiled and said, “That’s too bad.”

“Well, Jasper, if there’s anything I can do to help, please let me know.”

Jasper shook his head and said, “Thank you, Brian, but you can’t help me with what I want.”

“What do you want?”

“I want my Rosemary back,” Jasper softly said. Jasper had bought a bouquet of red roses, and he walked over to where they sat, then he picked them up and set them on Rosemary’s coffin.