Homegoing celebration of life for Serenity Reed

W ith dark frames covering my eyes, I walked down the aisle of the arena with my father right on the side of me. He had an arm wrapped around my shoulder as he casually walked, even though I knew he felt every piece of pain that I was experiencing. There was a tissue in my hands, and I used it to dab at the tears that were falling down my face. I was a few inches from seeing my mom’s body resting in the casket and having my biggest fear come true.

My legs felt like they were going to give up on me at any minute, which is why my father was holding onto me so tightly. I thought about a few of the words my mama had given to me before she took her rest. One of the main things that I’d gotten from the message was about the strength that lived inside me that I wasn’t even fully aware of yet. I knew my mama wasn’t some weak woman, so I couldn’t be her weak ass son in that moment. I walked down the arena aisle with thousands and thousands of people inside and even some outside because my mom had definitely made her mark on the world.

The funeral was open to the public because my mom had touched so many lives through her career as a dancer and coach. The funeral had to be held at the FTX arena here in Miami to accommodate the crowd. There was a live choir up front with a man singing “Walk Around Heaven .” It was one of my mom’s favorite gospel songs, and I remember her always playing it early on Sunday mornings. Whenever that song came on, I knew it was my cue to get out of my bed and get my ass ready for church.

“ One of these mornings, it won't be very long

You’re gonna look for me, and I'll be gone.”

He sang the song perfectly, and the words spoke to me.

When we neared the casket, my father removed his arm from my shoulder, allowing me to go first and see her body. I placed my hands on the beautiful white and gold casket and stared at the woman who birthed me. Then , I removed the shades that I had over my eyes, so I could fully look at her.

“Mommy ,” was all I was able to get out as I reached down and touched her hand in the crème-colored Gucci gloves.

I broke down as I looked at her because this shit hurt. I think what gave me peace in all of this was knowing she was at peace and getting the rest she properly deserved.

My mama had given Goddy Brook one job, and that was for her to make sure she had that shit on, and Goddy Brook had overstood the assignment. I could line up every woman in that arena, and none of them would be cleaner than Serenity Reed . She was laid out in a silver Gucci blazer, and it was shiny with the word Gucci all over it in black letters with silver pants to match. Her hands were crossed as they rested right on her stomach. She had diamond earrings in her ears that my dad had just purchased for her a few days ago, with a beautiful silver necklace on her neck. Her makeup was done to perfection, and I was glad they didn’t overdo it to the point that I would get up there and have no clue who she was. Because my mom had lost all her hair during her final stage of lupus, there was a wig on her head. What do the girls say when they get their wigs done? What lace, right? That hair looked like it was coming out of her scalp from how perfectly it was styled. It was a curly wig that resembled her natural hair. My mama looked good.

Before walking away, I reached into my pocket and pulled out a pin that I’d gotten for her when I was in kindergarten. I remember when we made it at school for Mother’s Day . It said Best Mommy in the World . I wanted her to take it with her, so I leaned in and attached it to her blazer, then kissed her on her forehead. With my head down, I walked to the front row of the arena that was marked off for us and sat down.

I placed my shades back on my face and watched my dad. I had always admired his strength, but in the past week, I had seen strength in him that I didn’t even know he had. He was hurting just as much as I was, yet he was steadily checking up on me and making sure I was fine. I watched him reach into the casket and hold onto my mom’s hand. He was nodding his head, and I could see the tears running down his face that he didn’t even bother to wipe. He leaned in, just as I did, and whispered something to her. Then he came over and sat next to me, putting his arm around my shoulder.

Two of the funeral home workers were standing in front of me and my dad, kneeling with their hands on our shoulders, just being the strength that we needed. When I saw my grandma and pop-pop, along with my great-grandma, make their way to my mom’s body and witnessed the way they all cried, I had to drop my head. I couldn’t see that shit because it hurt like hell.

Auntie Scarlet really broke me down, and Goddy Brook did, too, because I knew the three of them were roll dawgs and would sit up on the phone and talk for hours. They were going to miss her just as much as I would. Goddy Brook had my god dad, Raymond , holding her up as she stood there, looking at her best friend in the casket. Her two daughters, my god sisters, Janel and Josie , were both crying as well because my mom was their godmother. They’d spend the night at our house many times, and my mom was active in their lives, just as Goddy Brook was with me.

My other godparent, Rafael , made his way to the front, and he had a tissue in his hand as well that he used to dab his eyes. He and my mama were roll dawgs too. They would fake beef with each other for years, really just because Rafael liked to get under my mama’s skin. And even though I was young when it happened, I knew my mama would snap on him, hating that he would have my pops out at the strip clubs with him. They loved each other, though. There was never any doubt about that. Rafael viewed my mom’s body, and then he walked over, hugged me, shook it up with my pops, and hugged him as well.

Tranquil came in next; he had a great relationship with my mama too. I watched as he shed tears in front of the casket, just like everyone else, then came over and hugged us. My grandparents were on my dad’s side, along with Uncle Darryl , and everyone shared the same burden today, losing someone we all loved and cherished.

The actual service started about thirty minutes later once all the family had seen the body. They had the screens lit up in the arena, and each screen held a different picture of my mom. It was her baby pictures, her senior graduating picture, graduation from college, pictures of her, myself, and my pops, and pictures with her dance teams over the years. From there, the funeral went on, and now people were going up to say their kind words about my mom and share fond memories. There was literally a line of people who wanted to go up and say something.

“Good morning, everybody. My name is Kaila . I got the pleasure of meeting Coach Reed three years ago. I’m not going to even lie; I couldn’t stand Coach Reed when I first met her. My teammates know what I mean when I say that,” Kaila stated, getting the whole crowd to laugh because my mama talked stone cold shit, and Ima keep it a buck and say that one some days, I couldn’t stand her ass either.

“My mom signed me up for dance because I had the talent, but really just because she knew Coach Reed was a great person, even outside of dance. She stayed on top of her dancers, pushed them to discover strengths they never even knew they had, and her goal was to make sure we graduated from that studio and became somebody. I know a lot of her students went off to dance for big name artists, and I wanted the same for myself.

“I remember one of my first incidents with Coach Reed . Some of my teammates and I were talking about something we didn’t have any business talking about, and she jumped into the conversation. Mannnnn , she let us have it. Had us doing crab walks all around that studio, too. See , the thing about Coach Reed is she didn’t just make us condition while she stood there, looking pretty. Coach would run them laps with us, do those crab walks and push-ups too, and the thing is, she would do that junk in heels. We used to tell her all the time to put on some sneakers and that she did too much,” Kaila went on.

I laughed right along with the rest of the crowd because if you knew my mama, you knew she really did do too damn much. I had told her that over a thousand times just this year alone. Kaila’s voice cracked, and a tear fell.

“In all honesty, though, thank you, Coach , for doing too much. I needed that. The rest of the dancers needed that because sometimes, hearing it from mama and daddy isn’t enough. I said that I couldn’t stand you in the beginning because you were already riding me, but the whole time, you were doing that out of love. You were more than just a coach to me. You were a second mom. I could call you at any time of the day, and you would answer the phone and show up for me, even if you were tired. I’m going to the eleventh grade next year, and my final GPA was a 4.4. I’ve never been that high up, but I wanted to prove to you that I could be the best. Everything I told you I was going to do, all of that still stands. Get your rest, Coach . We going to be alright. Starlets , what we do?” Kaila called out.

“We dance, we roar, we turn heads, and we get downnnnn!”

It sounded like a whole damn band went off in the crowd as well over a thousand little girls, teenagers, and even adults stood up, all wearing white, pink, or gold because those were my mom’s colors at her dance studio. That was the chant that they let out, and it was something that I’d heard over a thousand times because, as a kid, I would sometimes have to sit in her rehearsals. I didn’t mind because I liked to look at the girls. If you didn’t dance for my mom, you couldn’t use that chant. She took it as a sign of disrespect because it was specific to her brand, and it stood for the excellence that she demanded from her team. So , all those figures that stood up were boys and girls that my mom had taught over the years. Mannnn , talk about leaving her mark! That shit really did send chills down my spine to witness.

Others went up to share stories or thoughts related to my mom. A lot of the stories had me laughing, and some had me crying. Overall , I think we all kind of got the same version of Serenity , which was someone who would love the hell out of you, but she was tough as nails. About five of her old teachers, starting from elementary school and even one of her professors from college, had taken the stand and talked about her being this dancing ass student with a bunch of sass and just knowing she was going to be somebody in life.

After that, we moved on in the program, and her students performed a dance to a song called funeral by Lukas Graham .

“Everyone welcome to my funeral

Everyone I know, better be wasted

You know I would pour one up

Cause the way I lived, it was amazing.”

The song, mixed with the beautiful ass dance that the boys and girls were doing in the aisles at the front of the arena and some on stage, had me really in my damn feelings. I wasn’t into all that dancing shit but seeing the way they’d just performed for my mama, I knew she was up in Heaven smiling. I stood up along with the rest of the crowd to clap for the good job they’d just done.

Now , we were at the part of the funeral where my dad had to do the eulogy. The pastor had just finished preaching and saying kind words about my mom, remembering her as a little girl, and now he was calling my pops up to send her off and finalize the funeral. Before he stood up, he kissed me on my forehead. The whole crowd clapped for him as he made his way to the front of the arena and went on stage. He was now in front of the podium, with the mic in his hands. I knew this was a lot on him, but my father made it clear that he wanted to do my mom’s eulogy, so there he was, about to handle his business like I knew he would.

“Siri , Bay -Bay , Love , Beautiful , the real Mrs . Reed ; you were all of those to me. Rarely called you Serenity unless I was trying to put my foot down, calling myself running something, or letting you know that I wasn’t one of those little dancers of yours. You knew the timing I was on when I called you Serenity ,” he started, and we all laughed.

Not many people could get my mama together, but my pops would do it quick, fast, and in a hurry. Once the crowd calmed down their laughter, he continued.

“First things first, when I get to Heaven , you gotta square up with me and shoot me a round because I can’t believe you just up and dipped on me like that,” he went in, causing us all to laugh again.

“Seriously , though, it was personal for me to be able to give the eulogy at my wife’s funeral. Legally , on paper, she’s my ex-wife, but she’ll always be my wife in my eyes. It was personal for me to do this because who better to get up here and boast about you other than me? Siri knew I would hype her up in a second. Listen , Serenity was everything and more that you all came up here and said she was. I think one of the things that each story had in common was the fact that we knew Serenity was no punk. She wasn’t much of a crier either, aight? We got that out the way, right? With that said, wipe your eyes because everyone in this room who knows Serenity , y’all know damn well she would have been talking stone cold crap about y’all up in here wasting all these people’s tissue, crying like this. The whole dance team would have had laps to run because it’s no tears on the dance floor!” my pops went on.

The laughter was louder this time because he was literally telling the truth. It wasn’t that my mom didn’t want anyone to cry, but she was the kind of person who didn’t want them to do that shit in front of her. She was tough, and she wanted the people around her to have that same kind of toughness.

“If we going to let some tears fall, let them be happy tears. Don’t cry for Siri because what y’all gotta know is that Siri is good. That woman is resting right now and probably already up there in Heaven teaching them folks how to line dance, with her dancing behind. In her final days, I had her in my arms, and she would say, ‘Mr . Man , I’m tired.’ At the time, I didn’t want to accept what she was saying, so I would tell her, ‘Aight , take yo’ ass to sleep then.” I knew exactly what Siri was trying to tell me long ago, but I just wasn’t ready to come to terms with her leaving me yet. I wanted to be stingy and selfish with her time here, but then I would’ve been subjecting her to being here and suffering. She ain’t wanna suffer no more.

“Her body has been enduring that pain since she was a fifteen-year-old girl. The thing about Siri , though, is you wouldn’t know she was in pain because whatever she was feeling on the inside, she wasn’t going to let it show. That’s why her death came as a surprise to a lot of people because she didn’t want anyone to feel bad for her. She’ll be the first one to tell you not to show her any pity. She wanted you to just remember all the good stuff, and that’s why, for the longest, she wouldn’t tell me and her family and friends how far the lupus had advanced. She kept saying that she was going to break hearts once the truth came out.

“This woman really thought she was just going to up and leave all of us without a single explanation. Nah , buddy, it don’t work like that. Because we love you, and we’re family, we want to know what’s going on with you. She told us in a way like, ‘Look , it’s bad this time. Whatever is going to happen is going to happen. I’m tired of fighting this thing, and I want peace,’” he stated, and tears freely rolled from my eyes because that’s exactly how it felt like my mom had gone about it.

“In the beginning, I thought that was a little selfish, but man, if I learned anything in all of this, it’s that when someone tells you that they ready to rest, you gotta let them rest. No amount of love, kids, or family is going to get them to stay. When your people are ready to close their eyes and go up there and get their wings, we can’t look at it like they’re being selfish. We gotta understand that they’re doing what’s best for them.

“Serenity gave the world forty years, and she did it with grace and class, and she got all up in your damn face with it too! My wife left a legacy! You cannot let the word dance come out of your mouth, and you don’t think of Serenity Reed ! You cannot bring up the Ooh LaLa dancers of Howard University from the year 2003 and not bring up that fine chocolate one right in the front, giving the whole team a run for their money!” my pops preached, having the crowd go crazy clapping and blowing whistles because my mama was that girl back in college. I saw the pictures and videos. She was tough.

“And we sitting here crying! Crying for the woman who made all this history in Miami . Ay , if you ever danced for Serenity Starlets , or if you dancing for her now, can y’all do me a favor and stand up, please?” my pops asked.

There was a flurry of movement in the arena as so many boys, girls, men, and women stood up. When they did, the crowd clapped.

“That’s Serenity’s doing. She did that! She taught them! Look at all those brown-skinned boys and girls that came straight outta Serenity Starlets ! What we crying for again?” he asked, and everyone clapped again, getting the message he was preaching. He let them know they could sit, and they did.

“We don’t have to cry for Serenity . Serenity did what she was supposed to do here on Earth . She birthed an up-and-coming beast. Dakari Reed , stand up,” my pops went on, putting me on the spot.

I stood up, and all eyes were on me.

“My wife birthed that beast! My son been wearing grown man shoes since he was in the third grade. I remember when she got pregnant. I just knew she would want a daughter, so she could put her in dance. She said, ‘Nah , Mr . Man , I want a son, and my son is going to be a beast! My son is going to be strong! My son is going to be powerful! My son is going to shake shit up in the NBA .’ She talked so much trash, so she said, ‘My son is going to have his foot on your neck, Mr . Man , and Ima make you retire that name and give it to my son!” he preached, getting the crowd to go crazy again.

“I said, ‘I want my son to be the third, Bay -Bay ,’ and she said no with a quickness. She said, ‘Give my son his own name. I don’t want him to be the third because the world is going to think he comes third when it comes to Dionte Reed Sr . and Dionte Reed Jr . Put my son in his own lane. Name him Dakari and let the world know that nothing was given to him, and everything he got, he worked for that shit!” he boasted, and almost everyone in the arena stood up, clapping.

I wiped my tears as I heard how my mama would speak so highly of me, and I hadn’t even made it into the world yet. Almost everyone had sat down, but I was still standing.

“Son , your mama been praying over you, speaking nothing but positivity into you since you were in her stomach. Mannnn , your mama is Serenity Reed . Her blood is running in you, so I need you to know that this may hurt you right now, but baby boy, we going to get through this. Son , you’re strong, and you’re powerful, just like your mama said. Before she took her last breath, I told her Ima be Superman , and Ima make good on that promise. Just know that your pops got you for life,” he let me know in front of everyone.

“Ma and Pops , you birthed an angel. You trained her up in the way that she should go, and trust me, she never departed from it. You lost a child, but Heaven gained an angel. It’s been hot all week, but today, it’s gloomy and rainy. Y’all know Jesus just as much as I know Him , so we know this rain lets us know she made it in. Thank y’all for sharing her with the world. We all needed her. She left a mark. She broke some hearts with this too, but we going to be alright. Serenity is going to be alright. No more pain, no more suffering, and no more tears. Let her rest, y’all. All that work she put into being a legend, my wife says she’s tired, and she’s going to pass the baton to somebody else and let them get a shot at it. She was here, and she showed her ass in the process! We’ll meet again, Bay -Bay . Make sure you throw up your best set, too, because I still want my round!” he finished and put the mic back on the stand.

My father got a standing ovation, as he should have because that was how you sent your wife off. He spoke so highly of her, doing it without having a single tear fall from his eyes. I was standing up, clapping along with everyone else. He made it over to me, wrapped his arm around my shoulder, and kept it there until we sat down.

The funeral was eventually over. My mom’s casket was closed and wheeled out as we walked behind it back to the limos. Before we took her to the gravesite, they drove her through the city of Miami one last time, having her go by her studio, where hundreds and hundreds of people were standing. Cars were parked on the side of the road, blowing horns, honoring the true legend that she was.

At the gravesite, I watched her casket be lowered into the ground, and doves were let off into the sky. I nodded my head, accepting her departure.

“Let her rest, son. Let her rest,” my pops assured me.

I shook it up with him and walked into his embrace. My mama said that I was a beast, so I had to be one. I would hurt for a while, but I would come back ten times stronger. I gotta let the world know that all that shit my mama talked about me being powerful and strong wasn’t just for show.

Dakari Reed was destined for greatness. I was going to be something in the NBA that the world has never seen before!