Hello, Sweetheart

C H A P T E R 23

One second, we were discussing the funeral with tears in our eyes, the next I'm standing less than a foot away from the coffin the grieving children's father. My thumb smooth over Keaton's hand and he offers me a soft, sad smile. 

I turn my head towards the door to see nearly a million peoples eye a red puffy color from losing the most cherished classic musician since 1932.

I hold Keaton's hand until he's ready to walk up and say his very last goodbye to his father. He takes a few steps forward and I smile softly until we're a few inches away to see Mr. Hayes pale face. 

I feel Keaton's muscles tense up and I try to get a look of his face which is pale and drenched in fear and sadness. "Keaton..." I watch his eyes swell up with tears and he releases my hands, I watch him quickly walk away. 

I turn my head toward the coffin and see Rhea walking up to it, her beautiful black dress and black sandals. I quickly walk up to her and smooth a hand over her shoulder. "It's okay Rhea..." she wraps her arms around me and before I know she's sobbing in my arms.

~~~~~

I sit behind Keaton where the family normally sits in the first row, I have a hand on Keaton's shoulder, massaging it gently. I feel a soft tap at my shoulder, and I turn in the direction the touch came in. "Hello lacey dear, you look beautiful..." Mrs. Hayes is in a knee length dress. A silver necklace around her neck and a pair of small black wedges. 

I smile and she takes my hand. "Please, do me the favor and sit up here with us." I stare at her, confused. "Mrs. Hayes, I appreciate the offer, but it would be disrespectful to sit up where the family do-" I get cut off by a tight hug. "You are family Lacey." 

~~~~

I didn't bother turning down the offer, I'm sitting next to Keaton, holding his hand and Rheas with my other. Rhea has her head on my shoulder and Keaton is staring at the ground, anywhere that isn't the coffin.

After the praying and the beautiful speech given by any friends and family, Keaton still has his head down, not bothering to look up. We all stand up, everyone's eyes filled with tears, flowers surrounding the coffin. 

I turn to Keaton and notice him walking up to the coffin, looking down at his peaceful father, maybe he's imagining he's sleeping so it hurts a bit less. Not sure but Keaton will know how to pass on the sadness. 

The group of men, counting Keaton participated to be the pallbearer. A man in a navy-blue suit and matching tie closes the lid and just by watching Keaton's movements I can feel the hit of realization that his father is gone. 

Forever. 

My heart starts aching, wanting to just run up to him and wrap my arms around him and never let go, I can tell he's swallowing back tears and not showing his grief. Its almost like he wears a mask, a mask that has no expressions or emotions. But that mask is slowly slipping off every second when a tear drops down his cheek. 

I never wanted to hug someone so fucking bad. 

I watch them carry the coffin out to the hearse, lowering the oak coffin into the back and shutting the doors, while more depressing music resumes, and everyone gets to the graveyard with puffy eyes. 

Keaton gets in the back of the seat and again he just stares right ahead, I feel his muscles relax and untense when I put my hand on his arm. I constantly think of Rhea, wondering if she's alright, I turn my head to see the car behind us where Rhea and Mrs. Hayes were driving in. 

After a few minutes of shielding our eyes from the flash of the camera and people asking questions. I can feel the anger boiling up in Keaton, I can feel all his emotions just by staring or being the slightest bit close to him almost like we're connected. 

We're getting out of the car and ignorant people already are shoving a camera and microphone into Mrs. Hayes face. 

"Ma'am, how do you feel now that your husband is deceased?" "Mrs. Hayes, how are you coping?"

Keaton lets go of my hand and rushes towards his mother, his fist clenched. "Will you leave my mother the fuck alone?! Honestly, this whole immature paparazzi act at a damn funeral? MY father's funeral?!" when Keaton is busy yelling and giving a lecture to the camera men a sneaky microphone sneaks up to Rhea and from a few inches away I can see her getting overwhelmed.

Keaton must have thought the same thing because he took the camera and microphone out of the disrespectful camera man hand and smashed it to the ground and stepped on it, making the camera a bit more destroyed under his very own foot.

Mrs. Hayes clears her throat. "Keaton...!" He grabs his sisters and mothers' hand but no, Keaton wouldn't just leave the men and women without a final goodbye, he got his middle finger as close to the camera as possible and flicked them all off and walked off, wrapping a hand around my waist and his mother and sister, walking beside him towards the ceremony. 

And the ceremony starts with no more interruption. 

Thanks to Keaton Hayes.