This is the Moth Radio Hour from PRX and I'm Suzanne Rust. In this hour, stories about

big reveals. We'll be hearing from a young girl who discovers both her fragility and

her strength, her reluctant middle school fespian, and a woman with a rather curious hobby.

Sometimes it's good to start things at the ending. In this case, someone else is ending.

Linda King told this story to slam in New York City where we partner with Public Radio

Station WNYC. Here's Linda, live with them off.

Well, good evening all. You know, it may be hard for some of you to believe, but I love

a good wake. Funerals, not so much, too much standing and kneeling and moaning and mumbling,

but a good wake. You walk in, you sign the book at the back, you proceed to the front,

you offer your sympathy to those on the first row. You view the deceased for maybe 15 seconds

or so, turn around and proceed to the rear, where you get to catch up with all the people

you haven't seen since the last wake. Now, I was parked across the street from Mackin's

funeral home in Ireland Park. There a lot did not have one single space available. They're

the kind of place that has two, maybe three rooms and they can have multiple bereavements

at the same time. I was here because my friend Hildes' husband had died. Now, notice I

said, died, not passed. People die. Kidney stones passed. If you're lucky. Now, I didn't

know Hildes' husband. I had never met him. I wouldn't have known him had I tripped over

him. But I knew her. She was a friend and I think that the rituals of death are largely

for the comfort of the living. So anyhow, I walked into the lobby and there she is sitting

by herself. I walked up to her and we spoke for a couple of minutes. She said that the

reason she was out there in the lobby was that his wake was so full of people, particularly

his family and it was getting very emotional and it was getting very warm in there and she

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