Keeping Love

Chapter 14

It was hours later and Olivia had still not come out of the front room.

I stood in the hallway worrying about her staring at the closed door to the front room.

The door opened and I was hopeful it would be her but it was her dad.

He came and stood with me.

"How is she doing?" I asked him.

"I'm not sure." He replied, "I don't think she's eaten anything since she's got here."

I was worried about that and unless she ate something in that room, "she hasn't."

"I tried to get her to come out for dinner but she said she's not ready. Just the idea of leaving his side brings her to tears." He shook his head and left me standing in the hallway.

I decided I'd have to go inside and speak to her myself.

I went inside and froze. By the window under the closed blinds lay an open coffin. Standing right beside it was Olivia. Her hands seemed to be inside the coffin. I couldn't see from here but I think she was holding onto his hand. Her eyes were fixated on his face.

The only other person in the room was a sleeping old man on a wooden chair in the corner.

I cleared my throat to get her attention.

She turned keeping her hands hidden in the coffin. She smiled at me. I smiled back at her.

"Joe." She said.

"Hi." I said, "are you doing ok in here?"

She nodded turning her head back to looking at her grandpas face.

"It's ok you can come closer." She said.

I didn't want to but I didn't want to tell her I didn't want to so I slowly walked over to the coffin. She was holding his hand in both of hers.

I put my arm around her and gave her a kiss on the cheek and then went and sat on a sofa that was against the far wall.

"Come sit with me." I said.

"I'm ok here." She said not turning around.

"Come on, Olivia. Come sit a minute. How long have you been standing there?"

"I don't know." She shrugged.

"Please come sit."

She sighed and moved closer to the coffin briefly if that was possible and then came and sat next to me.

"Have you eaten anything?" I asked her as she leant against me.

She shook her head, "but I don't want to."

"If you could eat anything at all what would you eat?"

"I don't want to eat anything at all." She shook her head, "just the thought of it turns my stomach."

"Ok." I didn't want to push her too far, "I'm worried about you. Have you at least been drinking?"

"I don't remember." She shrugged.

"Ok come with me. We're getting you a glass of water." I stood up.

"I can't leave him." Her eyes filled with tears.

She looked so sad and so broken in that moment but I knew this wasn't a good coping mechanism. Soon they were going to bury him and then she couldn't stand by his coffin side holding his hand all day long.

"You can. You're only going to the kitchen to get a glass of water and then you can come straight back. And I'll be right there with you."

She went back to the coffin and looked at him and then nodded taking hold of my hand and my whole lower arm, holding tight.