Falling For The Mortician

Chapter 6

Amarula

" I have always had an interest in knowing how you work , teach me a few basics" Donna implored , she's curious I see.

" yes , but be aware of the many scientific terms " I said.

" no problem "

"let's start , so the body is removed from the place of death and brought back to the funeral home for instance if it was in the hospital or at home or dumped at some bush ." I stopped .

"Before anything is done, the funeral home staff will obtain your permission and should explain what exactly will be done. If they do not, you should feel at liberty to ask."

"the dead body?"she asked

"no the family member or relatives "

" carry on " she said .

"The first step, regardless of what type of disposition that you choose, is bathing and disinfecting the body. This is done not only for the safety of the funeral home staff, family and friends, but also for dignity and respect of the deceased. A human body starts to change immediately after death occurs and bathing and disinfecting are necessary.

The next steps are ultimately decided by the family or friends in charge of arranging services. The body's can be prepared and embalmed for traditional services , dressed and placed in refrigeration for cremation, prepared for body donation or green burials, or arrangements can be made for transport to another state via ground or air travel. In the case of accidental or traumatic death, autopsy, or organ donation, special services may be required to provide restoration to the body."

"was handsome Lazarus death part of the latter "she asked.

" yes but since it was ruled and accident I didn't need to do much of an autopsy" I said .

Now he's alive. I am so f****d up.

" then what happens after that part ?"

"After disposition has been chosen and the preparation has been completed, you will need to consider clothing and other mementos such as jewelry and glasses. Options will vary depending on your previous choices. Some religious beliefs will dictate simple garments or particular outfits or you may be able to choose any style of clothing. You may use clothing previously worn by the individual or you may purchase new clothing.

When it comes to jewelry and mementos, keep in mind that anything you place with the deceased such as wedding rings, glasses, tie clips, etc., can always be returned to you before the final disposition takes place. These items can be for temporary viewing purposes or they can be left with the individual indefinitely. It is up to you." I clarified.

" more like for display"

"yes "

"The final step is preparing the body for private or public viewing. Cosmetics will be applied and the hair will be styled according to your wishes but then keep in mind that when making these final decisions, you have countless options. Aside from the basics, you can dictate to your funeral service professional exactly what you want when it comes to your loved one."

" what options are there ?" she asked

" cremation , embalming , burial."

"what is embalming?" she wondered

"Embalming is a method of temporarily preserving the body to Make it easier to transport the body over a long distance. Give family members ample time to schedule and hold funeral services. Enable the body to be viewed in an open casket.

In addition to preservation, embalming helps guard against health hazards." I explained.

" who does that work?"

" embalmers "

"who are they ?"

" Embalmers are licensed technicians and, in most cases, are also Funeral Directors like I . To embalm the body, we inject preservative chemicals into the circulatory system. Using a special machine, the blood is removed and replaced with the embalming fluid.

Refrigeration can also preserve the body, but it’s not always available. If it’s necessary to transport unembalmed remains, they may be packed in ice."

" if I may ask is embalming necessary? "

"Federal law prohibits funeral providers from misrepresenting the legal necessity of embalming. In fact, funeral providers are required to inform consumers that embalming is not required by law, except in certain special cases. And, it is unlawful to represent that embalming is required for:

Immediate burial.Direct cremation. A closed casket funeral without a viewing or visitation when refrigeration is available (if state or local law does not require embalming" I said.

" so how do you achieve the final look, most bodies arrive here looking funny"she asked

" I or we , stuff the throat and nose with cotton and then suture the mouth shut, either using a curved needle and thread to stitch between the jawbone and nasal cavity or using a needle injector machine to accomplish a similar job more quickly. Small spiked cups are also inserted under the eyelids to keep the lids closed and the eyes from caving in. But on some cases where they may not have the spiked cups they use super glue , preferably colorless"

" What of bodies that arrive mutilated or decapitated?"

" to prepare a decapitated corpse for an open-casket viewing, I use a wooden dowel to rejoin the head and body, then sutures the neck back together more sewing. "

" another trick is , If you need to keep a deceased person’s hands folded neatly at their abdomen, but their arms keep falling down into the sides of the casket, you can gently bind their thumbs with a ponytail tie.”

" why do caskets explode at times ?" she asked

" some caskets are heavily sealed air does not circulate to allow the gases to leave as a result of decomposition, those gases build up and cause the casket to open "

" I used to think it was the spirit of the deceased "

" that's just a myth"

" how do you sleep at night? Don't you get night mares, vivid images ? "

" sometimes I see those bodies , I get nightmares, I hear voices , but it doesn't bother me that much because it's all a mind game , all in my head. As an intern it was constant day by day . I got used to it that it does not bother me that much"

" when bodies come in burnt up, cut up in all manner of ways how do you deal with that? "

" First thing is never get emotionally attached . It's like working in any office or any profession, you keep it professional. I won't lie that I don't get emotional especially children , pregnant women and mother's , but it's work Sam is here to help me when I get over whelmed ".

" speaking of mother's , how do you handle a pregnant mother ? "

"are you asking if we take the dead baby out from it's dead mother ?"

" yes"

" we don't, in the US it's not allowed , unless it's upon the family's request which they will have to write a permit to me that allows me to cut her open and get the baby out . If they preferably want a separate coffin for the fetus . "

" In my culture it's also not allowed it's like snatching the baby away from its mother , so the spirits will haunt anyone that did that act"

" I love Mexican culture "

" I love African culture " she replied.

Donna is like the sister I didn't ask for but needed the most .

" Are you still worried about the man?"

" a little bit"

" you shouldn't Ru , he has nothing against us, "

An idea came to mind.

Since a some bodies will be buried to the mass grave incase he goes to the cops I could said I didn't know he was missing and allude to the fact that some bodies may have been buried and so I mistakenly didn't notice his was missing.

I will get lectured but not sentenced to imprisonment .

Easy as that .

" you know what, am not worried , I love my job it is what it is as you said we will not go to jail.Deny ,deny ,deny".

" that's the spirit"

"yes "

" so how can I help around here ?"

" I have a few orbituaries I would like you to edit , file the death certificate copies and fill in on the forms to the left. "

I have calls to make . For a team to come and pick the unclaimed bodies and bury them . It will have reduced so much pressure from my shoulder.I will finally be able to receive more bodies from the hospitals .The delay and jamming has caused a ripple effect . Their facilities are not suitable for holding dead bodies for long. They can hold for a few hours be it when I have closed for the day .I don't even get a vacation . I love my job , it's my passion .

" on it " she replied.

Donna isn't scared of dead bodies but her being a nurse she's seen people take their last breath , something I don't see. Hence it's why she can easily get emotional as a vivid image of how the people died would play in her head , meanwhile I on the other hand , I am used to it, it hardly affects me . Seeing corpses has never been a problem , the issue would be if I see them take their final breath .

My love for what I do began after my mother died, from the pictures of her car it was badly dismantled. The mortician did an excellent job for the viewing ,she looked so peaceful and less bloated .She looked like she was asleep .

Since them I wanted to understand what death is ,why my mother will never wake up.

Slowly I began to have a fascination for macabre which is death as a main subject.

I watched movies with death scenes .

I wouldn't cry I would be fascinated at how I could make a deceased person look alive , happy and beautiful and what happens to a dead body .

When my dog died , a German Spritz gifted to me by my grandparents,my dad's parents .I single handly made a taxidermy of it .

I gave it to an animal collector who was interested in it .

I never told my dad it's what I wanted ,he would not have agreed to it ,he found out after I took over from the former boss .

I never told him what I did for a living, I lied to him when he started to get snoopy.

I told him I work as a nanny , until one day he saw me leave the morgue he did his stalking and found out I was an assistant mortician . He nearly fainted.

How could I his daughter be working on dead bodies .

An abomination.

He talked me to leaving it ,I didn't ,he didn't get it , he didn't know how much I found peace working on dead bodies.

Corpses helped me get over my mother's death and accept that she passed away and not sleeping someday to wake up.I finally found my piece and I didn't care what no one else thought it was I against what they think.

So I left his house and got an apartment.

I was determined and that's why am good at what I do , yes am proud of how far I came .If you can't celebrate yourself then who will?

After leaving tides got high, I had bills to pay, and the facility was not doing so well .

My former boss had gotten a divorce from his wife she found another man and left him .He shifted into gambling so he could be able to get rid of his stress . He didn't know he was eating off from the Funeral home's funds.

Bills were piling up ,I was about to go homeless and this man was gambling the company's money.

I went to a sugar daddy website as my last resort.