They had been delivering a dozen crates of pom-poms to a place called Fuzzy-Puff 12. Not the kind of name that would make you picture toothy, drooling, and large beasts. Also not the kind of name that would make you think one of the crew wouldn’t survive the trip. But those were the type of native creatures it had and that was just what happened. By the time the Planet Express ship took off for home, she was minus her captain.
The staff knew it would be difficult, but no one could think of anything else to do but turn to Fry. Oddly enough, he knew just what Leela wanted and made sure no detail was overlooked. She was to be buried (as opposed to being shot off into space) in the northern most area of St. Cole’s Church cemetery because she found out there was a manhole at the end of the block and she was more comfortable knowing her parents could visit her easily and whenever they pleased. Her desire for her favorite flower was expressed as wishful thinking, but Fry and Amy found a way to get them delivered and paid for respectively. Lastly, all the men she’d ever been involved with were invited as long as they’d submit to a swift kick to the crotch from her current boyfriend before being seated. From his unique position, Fry was actually looking forward to seeing Zapp and Alcazar in particular. Not even Sean, showed up after receiving the threat.
To everyone’s surprise, the delivery boy was stoic all through the preparations and up to the funeral. In reality, his mind was just too busy to deal with grief and ten minutes after everyone got to Planet Express it all caught up with him. At first no one noticed because he was too depressed to even cry. But then he lost his composure and quite obviously broke down. Amy had to stop Leela’s parents on their way out and ask for their help consoling him, knowing there wasn’t a single person at the company who even remotely knew what he was going through.
The following week was difficult to put it mildly. For all the ways Leela tried to curb Fry’s tendency to mess around and slack off, dying was by far the best thing she could have done. He didn’t say more then two words beyond what he needed to say for work and he didn’t sit around watching t.v. The first couple of days he didn’t even go home, electing instead to pass out on her parent’s couch. Considering how close all three had been to her, staying in close proximity was like a type of therapy.
The week after that there was an evident change. Fry wasn’t up to full pep, but he seemed to be coping better and he had his normal appetite back. He credited Morris, or ‘dad’ as he insisted Fry call him after the funeral, with the turn around. He was deeply hurt at his daughter’s passing, but knew that no amount of tears would bring her back. She wouldn’t like them crying over her anyway.
The only real show of sorrow that remained was Fry’s reluctance to go out. He avoided trips to O’zorgnax’s with Bender and he most adamantly turned down a double date with Amy, Kif, and one of her collage friends. She carefully explained that it wasn’t a date. It was just that both Fry and Steph were having kind of a rough time, so they could use the distraction and if they clicked then it just happened. Fry told her dating would be an insult to Leela’s memory and he would never love again anyway.
Those last words stuck with her and that was the reason she was shocked when a few days later Fry said he was meeting someone and he didn’t want to keep ‘her’ waiting. The next day not only did he leave on time to meet this ‘her’, but he showed up to work late for the first time since the funeral. His reason was he had to go out of his way to say good morning.
The rest of the crew was unshaken by Fry’s actions. Hermes said if someone was making him happy, then what harm could it do? Bender’s only complaint was he could never try to convince his roommate to help him with scams because he only came home to sleep. Other then that, he was at work or “hanging out with his new girlfriend.” It didn’t occur to Amy at the time, but she was more like her parents then she cared to admit because she decided this called for some snooping.
When Fry came in the next morning, humming his trademark tune, the young engineer fell into step behind him. They made casual conversation as he got a cup of coffee and, because neither of them could find the remote to the t.v. in the lounge, kept talking with Zoidberg rooting through the garbage as background noise.
“So Fry,” Amy started. “Bender told me you’ve been…hanging out with someone a lot lately?”
He nodded simply as he blew on his drink, and then proceeded to take a test sip. “Yup.”
She smiled with relief. She had expected some kind of resistance and was grateful, though stunned, he’d given a straight answer. “Is she pretty?”
He nodded and Amy could almost swear she heard him mutter ‘beautiful’ before he came back to his senses. “Look, I know what you’re going to ask. Nothing’s going on. We just talk.”
“You’re meeting her an awful lot for someone you just talk to.”
Fry could hear the first sprinkles of suspicion in her voice, but maintained his calm demeanor. He didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of losing his cool and saying something he would have to later explain in greater detail. “We understand each other.”
He was forthcoming, then cryptic. It was like making a hard left at speed and she took a moment to recover. “Well, why do you always go to see her? Can’t she come here once in a while?”
“I visit her because she’s kind of in a new situation.” He took a few moments from his explanation to gulp his rapidly cooling coffee. Afterward, he pulled what remained of a slice of cheese pizza from under his leg and threw it in Zoidberg’s direction. It was gone in seconds. “Besides, I don’t want everyone judging her at once.”
“We wouldn’t judge her. We’re probably like, the most accepting group of beings on earth.” She had been thinking this woman might be a therapist until he mentioned the ‘new situation’. But if she just moved, what better way to acclimate to the city then by taking the patented Planet Express tour? Between all the employees they knew the island better then anyone. And as for judging, it would take a lot for them to see someone in a bad light and Bender was not-quite-living proof. Unless of course (and this was a hypothetical) she was a therapist who’d overstepped her ethics by asking a still-grieving Fry out. He hadn’t gotten the name ‘Mr. Rebound’ for no reason.
“Well, maybe. But she gets real nervous meeting big groups of new people. She’s self conscious.” He finished his liquid caffeine and lobbed the styrofoam cup at the trash bin, only to watch when it was intercepted by the still hungry doctor and went the way of his discarded pizza. Fearing some sort of repercussion, the brittle alien scuttled out whopping.
“How about the next time you see her, I’ll go with you? I can’t scare her all by myself, can I?”
This was getting prickly very fast. Fry decided to cut the discussion short before Amy got too insistent about it. “I was going to talk to her after work today, that’s kinda short notice. Maybe next time.”
“But Fry…” Amy had an inkling she’d have to jump on this chance. The longer he had alone with this woman, the more time they could figure out how to squirrel her away. But her ideas for arguments were upended by Fry standing.
“Look Amy, I’m sorry, but I think it would be a bad idea. We’ve got deliveries to get to.” And that was the end of it. He strode out and not long after Zoidberg wailed shrilly. Amy found him cowering under the table and he asked her to make sure Fry was really checking on the ship like he said he’d be or if he was planning a vengeful scheme in honor of his eaten cup. She rolled her eyes and left the room.
The last delivery and clock-out time came almost painfully slowly. After Amy got through balancing the propulsion for the trip home (impossible as it sounded, Fry had told her the ship was leaning to the left), the only thing she had to pass the time was sit on the bridge and watch the former delivery boy pilot. It was only a month ago that Leela told her his flying skills were growing steadily and rapidly and she could picture him flying full time soon. Had Amy known the captain was prone to moments of clairvoyance, she would have asked for that week’s lottery numbers.
They returned home on schedule and as soon as the clock hit five, Fry flew from the building amidst shouts of protest from Bender. For a being that didn’t have emotions, he was able to whine better then some four-year olds and he wasn’t afraid to lay into anyone that crossed his path. Mercifully Amy had found a way to avoid getting caught up in it without too much trouble by jamming a pair of headphones in her ears and hiding the jack in her pocket, hooked up to nothing. Bender stopped his list of annoyances when he thought they were falling on deaf ears.
Not wanting to get caught by following too close, Amy peeked out the front door just long enough to get Fry’s heading and scrambled back. She leaned out after counting to thirty, decided a fair distance had been put between them, and crept out. The drawback of going after someone at that time of day was there wasn’t really anyone out she could duck behind in the event he turned, so Amy adopted a sporadic movement pattern. She’d stay in any kind of recessed storefront until Fry was well ahead, then run into the next one and when he rounded a corner she had a good chance to gain ground.
The buildings around seemed familiar, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on why. It was as if she’d know everything better in a different light, like when you don’t recognize an area at night that you pass through all the time during the day.
Amy almost lost the trail when Fry slipped between a pair of wide set wrought iron bars. The majority of the gate was impassible, but that whole section was badly mistreated with dented, broken, and missing bars. That was the first place the young Wong felt safe being close because this place was bordered by low shrubs, but it grew quickly barren. The odd tree and grass were all there was.
Just as she was figuring out exactly where this visit was to, her foot landed on a wet piece of metal and she went down as per usual minus the yell. Once the world stopped spinning quite so wildly, Amy sat up and sighed sadly at the small grave plaque. “Sorry for stepping on you,” she paused to get a better look at the name.
Jackie Galvez
March 16, 2982
July 22, 2988
Beloved son and friend
The best batboy heaven could ask for
“…Jackie. Poor kid.” She shook off her discomfort and looked around, but couldn’t see Fry’s red mop anywhere. Figuring she was already on the ground and the neighboring headstones were the only things one could hide behind, she stayed low to use the cover to her advantage. After some crawling in a randomly chosen direction, she heard Fry’s voice and moved closer to better understand him.
“…don’t think I’ll be able to visit you for a while. Amy’s on to me. I know I said I’d come every day, but next time I get the feeling she’s going to follow me.”
Amy leaned from behind an angel statue and looked for the person Fry was talking to, but unless she was invisible it seemed he was alone. He was lying in the grass, flat on his back with his hands behind his head and apparently talking to himself. While being supine next to a grave might have been strange, even for him, he shot up out of the position so fast Amy thought he’d seen her.
“I almost forgot, I brought you something.” Fry reached into his jacket and retrieved a dark colored flower, a vial of water on it’s stem to keep it from drying out and its petals starting to open. He lifted a browning plant of the same type from the grass and swapped it out for the fresh bloom.
That’s a Nereid lily. There was no way Amy could have mistaken it, both because of how rare they were and the volume of them that had been on Leela’s casket. He’s been coming here the whole time, no wonder his new friend never showed up at work. If Fry’s been here, why would he cover it up?
He reclined against and watched the clouds floating overhead. “It’s too bad your parents never visit at this time of day, a graveyard is a nice place to watch the sun go down. I don’t know why everyone’s afraid of cemeteries, the only zombie that’s been around is Zombie Jesus and no one’s seen him in years.”
He sighed heavily. “Leela, I know you can’t answer me and plenty of people would say you can’t even hear me, but you’re still the best friend I’ve ever had. Everyone wants me to get over you being gone, but then Amy wants to know what’s going on when I seem fine. If I tell them the truth, they’ll say it’s weird and try to keep me away. Just because you’re dead doesn’t mean you can’t help me feel better. I’m not going to stop loving you, either.”
It was almost physically painful for Amy to try and process that amount of devotion. It was true though; everyone had this idea that once someone was dead, that’s how they should stay. The living mourn, then move on because thinking of someone was like bringing them back to life. The downside was when you stopped thinking, it was like losing them all over again. But Fry was fine with this ritual he’d cooked up and if anything it had helped him.
Amy was careful as she reversed and turned to go back the way she’d come, with Fry’s voice fading behind her. He never faltered or yelled so she knew he hadn’t seen her, but when she stood she looked back just to make sure. With him on his back, Amy’s mind wandered as she thought that maybe Leela was listening to him.
She imagined the captain sitting on her own headstone, holding one knee up and giving Fry her undivided attention. The strange this was the vivid woman then looked up, smiled, and waved her hand as if telling the girl to give them their daily time alone. The next instant, after a surprised blink, Leela was gone and no matter how hard Amy tried to conjure the image, she wouldn’t return. On her way home she couldn’t figure out how she could picture her friend once and not be able to do it again. Unless she never pictured her and Leela had really been enjoying Fry’s company, but there wasn’t any such thing as ghosts.
Was there..?
