Retaliation

Preperations

Kathleen chose to go back home; she didn't want to impose any longer; she just couldn't. She knew that she would have to start preparing for Zack's funeral; she needed to get everything situated, and the few distant relatives that she had, including her deceased husband's family, were going to be a long and dreaded process. 

She knew that it wasn't going to be easy. Kathleen believed that she had cried all the tears she could, but tears still came. Her husband's family she hadn't talked to in months; the last time  was just a quick checkup to see how Zack was doing and if he was doing well in school. 

Her family barely talked, and sometimes years would go by and no one would speak with one another. Unless someone decided to get married or there was a death, whether it was a joyous family reunion or one that was just somber and silent, Kathleen would cry at the thought. 

She wished so badly that she wouldn't have to bury Zack and that this was just a long dream to teach her a lesson. She wanted Zack to get married and start a family, to be successful, and to finally smile and laugh. 

That was all ripped away from her; she had no idea what Zack might've felt in his final moments and couldn't imagine how painful it must've been. Her husband had already been gone for over ten years, and now that her son was gone, she had no one left.

 Sometimes she prayed and prayed that she would be woken up so that the next time she woke up, she would walk to Zack's room and he would be sleeping in his bed. He would seem at peace, and when he would wake up, he'd smile at her, and she would hug him so tightly then they'd move away. So she could give him everything; she would do anything to see her baby boy just one more time. 

For the next couple days, Kathleen made tons of calls to any funeral director she could find that could assist her with Zack's funeral. Some of them were just asking too much, and Kathleen didn't have enough for their service. 

She ended up making some progress and had an appointment set up. She went to a tailor and asked them to make a suit for Zack; she even picked out shoes. Everything was almost set; the only thing she had to do was finish calling family members.

 At the time, Kathleen was on the phone with one of her husband's siblings, and they both were crying. Kathleen had asked them to tell the rest of the family because she couldn't bear going through the grief she felt again and again. 

The bell at the front door rang, and Kathleen said goodbye. When she opened the door, she saw Cici, Todd, and George all standing together.

 Hello, Mrs. B." Cici held out a basket. "I just came back into town yesterday and heard what happened. I'm extremely sorry for your loss." 

Kathleen took the basket, which was filled with goodies and cards. She had to hold back her tears as she stepped aside and let them into the house. All three of them gave her a hug, and it was getting harder for her to hold back her tears.

 "Thank you; how have you all been?" Kathleen led them into the kitchen, where she set down the basket on the table.

 "Been better." Todd replied as he sat down. 

The other two followed suit, and they looked at Kathleen almost as if they were trying to be careful with the way they acted or spoke.

 "That's good, how is your mother, George?" 

"She's good, just worried about you." 

"Oh, tell her not to, I'm okay." Kathleen didn't look at them when she said this; instead, she busied herself by making tea for the three of them. 

"Mrs. B, is there anything we can help you with?" Cici stood up. 

"Oh no, dear, it's okay." Kathleen set down their cups and stood with her back against the sink.