DEATH AND SEX

THOUGH DEATH DID US PART BY MATTHEW LUCAS BECKETT “And with that signature by President Trunkle, The Marriage Equality Act becomes the law of the land. Conservatives riot in. . .” My sister turns the TV. off before I throw my drink at it. I quickly set it down, then leap to my feet. “THEY RIOT!” I thunder. “I'll give you a riot. Four days. If this had happened four days ago, Matt and I could have gotten married here, and he wouldn't have been on that road to Canada to get us a situation there. He wouldn't have been in that accident, and he wouldn't be. . ..wouldn't be. . .” I could not bring myself to say the word. I still could not accept that my boy-friend of five years, since our Senior Year of High school, was gone. “Thomas, calm down,” said Ophilia. “I will not calm down,” I shouted. “If this had happened in time, I'd now be planning a Wedding with Matt, not preparing to attend his Funeral tomorrow. And then we could have at last made love. I'm sorry to say it in front of you, Sis, but I've got to say it sometime. We were saving ourselves for that, and now he's gone, and if this had happened earlier it could have, would have in fact, all been all right.” I had finally shouted myself into silence, and no one else seemed to have anything to say. So we watched the rest of The News in silence and then went to bed, knowing that tomorrow would be hard enough even on a full night's sleep, and not wanting to make it any harder with being tired. But at 1:37A.m.,, the exact time of the accident, I sat bolt upright, looking around wildly. I had heard something. I knew I had. What I had heard was impossible, but I was sure of it. I had heard Matt's voice. In the darkness, I heard it again, clearer this time. Come to me, Tommy Boy, just this one time. I froze. He'd only ever called me Tommy Boy when we were alone in his car or somewhere else where no one else could hear it, and I'd never shared this with anyone, not even my twin brother. Come, Tommy Boy, while there is still time. Before I'm sealed away forever. I made up my mind in an instant. I got up on cat's feet, walked over to my drawer, and removed the two golden bands that I had hidden there. Soft and quiet as a mouse, I tread down the stairs and into the garage, opened the garage door manually, put the car in neutral and pushed it quietly out, then closed the garage door, got in the driver's seat and put the car in gear. To my relief, no lights came on inside the house. Taking the least encumbered route I knew, I drove to The Funeral Home, parked, got out and knocked at the door. “I'm Matt Aramiss's boy-friend,” I explained. “I wanted to see the body one last time before tomorrow.” To my surprise, the woman nodded. “Of course,” she said. “I understand. Come right in.” She opened the door,let me in and escorted me to the body. “I'll leave you alone with him for the night,” she said. “Just be gone by sunrise.” I said I would, and she returned to the front desk. I sat awkwardly beside the corpse for a few moments. “Well, Matt,” I finally say awkwardly. “This isn't exactly the situation that I had envisioned for this, but here goes.” I get down on one knee beside the slab. “Matthew Mortimer Aromos, I've wanted to ask this for a long time. Will you merry me?” A breeze ruffles his head and it makes a slight forward motion. “I'll take that as a yes,,” then I slip the engagement ring onto his cold finger. “Do you Matthew Mortimer Arimos take me Thomas Samuel Davison to be your wedded husband, to have and to hold, to love and to cherish, in sickness and in health, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, and forsaking all others, keep yourself only for me, until death do us part. Burial, let's say, under these circumstances.” Another breeze generates another nod, and I place the Wedding Band on his finger, since this particular ceremony is by necessity a bit rushed. “Do I Thomas Samuel Davison, take thee Matthew Mortimer Artimos to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold, to love and to cherish, in sickness and in health, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, and forsaking all others, keep myself only for thee, until burial do us part. Yes, with all my heart. I wish...” I cannot get the words out. So I continue. “Then I declare us Man and Husband. We may now kiss.” I press my warm, living lips against his cold,dead lips, harder than I ever had in life, and hold them there until I must draw breath. Then I look to make sure we are alone, and check the windows to be sure sunrise is not imminent. Then I pull down my pants, climb on top of him, pry his mouth open, and stick my already erect penis into it. One squeeze is all it takes, and I am ejaculating like I have never ejaculated before. I kiss and caress his corpse while I penetrate him, and even for a while after my semen is spent. Then I get off of him, cry for a good long while as I pull my pants up and remove the rings, then leave and derive home, knowing now like I had not before that tomorrow really is good-bye, at least in this life.