FORTUNE: A FREENBECKY STORY

Chapter 66 ⚰️

The morning of Chen's funeral was unreasonably cold. The rainy season had just passed and the atmosphere should have been warmer but it was cold.

We each made our solemn march to the places that had been designated for us. I watched as those who were going to sit took tentative steps toward their chairs. Others stood silently toward the back of the canopy. It was as though they were trying to will themselves as far away as they could from the open hole in the ground.

They had gathered here to pay their last respects to one they knew and loved, Chen. I had never seen so many young people at a funeral but Chen was a teacher and he was well loved.

It was my second funeral this year. The first one was so tough that I chose not to feel a thing but this time I felt everything. I looked at the somber faces of those who gathered to pay their last respects, and thought back to the death of my own father only a few months before.

I looked over at Richie who was still inconsolable. He reckoned Chens death was his fault and couldn't forgive himself. Next to him was Irin, they had been 'dating in secret' for months, at least they thought it was a secret. Irin was a warm face that gave us all strength.

Chen was like a son to Ma so she was taking it hard as well. Then there was Malaia who was being incredibly strong about the situation while also allowing herself room to process it.

Freen arrive just in time for the start along with Noey, Nam, Toey and even Lux who I know came to support our family since they didn't know Chen very well.

We were about fifteen minutes into the funeral when the sky became ominously dark. It began to rain. It wasn't a light summer rain or a passing shower. It was a torrential downpour. Some of the children screamed in delight while their mothers tried to shield their heads and cameras from the rain. Our solemn mood was shattered. I thought about the irony of it all.

Despite the havoc, the rain stopped pretty quickly. It felt like we all experienced the rain that day as cleansing. Water could be both devastating and life-creating. A day doesn't go by that we don't experience its life-giving power in some way, whether through the leaves on a tree, or plants in a garden, or through drinking and bathing. Water carries us through birth, and at its worst, water can be destructive. At its best, it is cleansing. Today it was cleansing.

It was time for Malaia's Eulogy and Richie still was unable to look at her. She stepped forward close to the hole in the ground and turned around to face the rest of us.

"The day my husband was killed I was not by his side. Yes, my husband because it did not matter to me whether we went through the formalities or not. We were already bonded and still are. To tell you the truth, that was all Chen's idea. He felt in societies eyes he was doing me a disservice by not marrying me. Whatever. The day my husband was killed I was taking a peaceful nap just above him in the guest room. The day my husband died I didn't expect it. I still don't understand why he was killed. But Chen and I were fortunate to have found safety in having experienced the same level of grief. So today I want to help you all with yours. With this poem," Malaia said, now pulling out a piece of paper from her pocket.

Richie looked at her for the first time, wondering how she could muster such strength in the face of such grief. She had a baby on the way after all. He was dumbfounded by her. We all were.

"Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glint on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you wake in the morning hush,
I am the swift, uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circling flight.
I am the soft starlight at night.
Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there, I do not sleep.
Do not stand at my grave and cry.
I am not there, I did not die!" She recited

Once she was done Malaia went back to her seat where she smiled for the rest of the service. As soon as the service finished a rainbow emerged just behind Chen's resting place. The mood had shifted completely from a day of grief to a celebration of life.