Howard sat in the front corner of the seating area, surrounded by friends, co-workers, and family members, yet had never felt more alone in his life.  Lying in the closed coffin just ten feet from him was his Wanda.  He couldn’t even kiss her goodbye as the fire had ravaged her beautiful face and could not help but think of the unborn child she had carried…His child.

Oh how he blamed himself.  Sneaking from their bed in the middle of the night to commit arson on a rival gang.  Adding too much wood to the fire and not replacing the protective chain mesh on the front of the fireplace to avoid waking his Wanda.  Every day he would wake up and play these events over in his mind and each time, a part of his soul will die once again.

As the funeral service finished, he walked up to the casket and placed his hands, palm down, directly over where Wanda’s face would have been.  Closing his eyes and lowering his head, he allowed his mind to drift and replay memory after memory.  He was completely oblivious to the family members that tried to console him.  He ignored the co-workers that extended offers of assistance.  He had no idea how long he stood there, but finally, hours later, his mind came back to the present and his eyes opened.  Shadows from the setting sun extended across the floor and all around him.  He knew it was time to leave.

Howard needed something to take the edge off.  While he normally didn’t drink, tonight, like every night since Wanda’s death, had been an over indulgence of spirits as he tried to cope with the pain of causing the death of his own wife.  Over time, the blame had begun to shift and now he had placed the blame on the rival gang.  If they hadn’t tried to move into his territory, then he would have stayed in bed that fateful night.  And he had burned their place and burned it badly.  The thoughts of their anguish provided the slightest reduction in his sorrow.  He continued to stew on how miserable they must be and how he had done well to run them out of town.

Just as he had ordered another drink, a group of men walk into the bar, talking loudly and in a celebratory mood.  The group walked up to the bar and one man said “Bartender, a round of tequila shots for my crew.  Oh hell, how about a round for the whole bar.  Yeeee Haaawwww!” The man turned back to pats on his back from the other members of his crew.  Howard watched intently as he was a local and this group was new.  Once the shots were passed out to everyone, the man once again stepped back from his crew and said “Three Cheers to the Insurance Man!” which was met with cheers from his crew.

The bartender, laughing at the upbeat tempo of the group, asked “Buddy, that is the first time in all my years that I’ve heard someone give cheers to an insurance adjustor.”

The man, smiling from ear to ear, responded, “You’re not going to believe my luck. I rented this old barber shop and we had moved in some of our belongings, but nothing of real value.  Well, mysteriously, the place caught on fire in the middle of the night a couple of weeks ago.  Turns out the property owner had coverage on the building and not only is he getting a new building, but there is a clause for incidental furnishings.  The insurance just cut me a check for $25,000 for my losses.  It’s time to celebrate!”

Howard’s heart sank and he just wished someone would kill him now.