TASTES LIKE LOVE

The Turning Tables Turned

It had been three days since the day everything went to shit, and at some point Mark had stopped keeping track of the number of times he found Lauren crying in her bathroom.
He knew no amount of "its okay"s or "I'm here"s would work for a time like this, so he just held her silently each time, helping her through the motions of everyday life when she let him.

The funeral was to be held today, late afternoon, and he had already been to the new restaurant location to oversee the moving process was going on well before going back to Lauren's to pick her up for the service.

He had braced himself, expecting her to be in shambles again, but was surprised to find her dressed and ready, getting her hair up in a tight updo.
He couldn't boast to have known her long, but he knew her well. She was coping with this the best way she knew how. She looked up as he emerged, giving him a small smile.
"Hi, I'm almost done, could you hand me that brush on my vanity table please?" she said, her voice not too bright but not too sad either.

He nodded, walking over to her vanity and taking the brush, when he noticed the sleeping pills next to it. He sighed, worried and concerned.
"Babe?" she called out, surprising him, and he walked over to the mirror where she was now fixing her dress.
"Babe? I didn't know we were on pet name basis now," he said, avoiding her hand that was asking for the brush and brushing her hair for her.

She shrugged. "You don't like it?"
"Of course I do. I just wanted to do everything right. I wanted to ask you out properly, and I don't think today is the best day so I was waiting for the appropriate time," he said.
She met his eyes on the mirror, but only nodded and looked away.
"Alright, we'll do it after," she said.

They were in the car, thirty minutes later, when he decided to ask the question that was burning in his mind.
"Are you okay? I saw the sleeping pills," he said.
She didn't seem surprised, only resigned. "I'm going to be. Soon. I've been winning all my life, Mark. I've always been conventionally pretty, intelligent, the rich girl, and I guess I'm not taking too well to losing, which I seem to be doing alot of lately."
He stole a glance at her, and knew this was a conversation for another, calmer time. For now he said," I think you're doing great, Lauren. And if you need anything you know I'm here."
She nodded, just as the car pulled into the quiet cemetery.

The funeral went as planned, and Lauren kept her composure throughout  save the occassional handkerchief dabbing at her eyes when they lowered the coffin into the ground. Mark stood watching from a little distance away, as only close family and associates were to be in attendance. He could see some who genuinely felt the loss -his old friends and a half sister who was wearing such a big hat you couldn't really see her face- and also some who were clearly just here out of obligation- the late teens cousin smoking behind a tree- but he was most worried about Dominick, who was mumbling things under his breath to Lauren and whatever he said seemed to distress her, if the look on her face was anything to judge by.

She kept her composure, however, and the other mourners seemed to be none-the-wiser. So he let it go, for now.
When all was done and the late Mr. Rudolph Pierce was laid to rest, people trickled out of the cemetery in small groups, leaving the close family, the priest and the family lawyer by the graveside. The lawyer said something to the group, and they all nodded solemnly and watched as he left.

When Lauren came up to him, he took his hand and squeezed, leading them to the parked car.
"The will is to be read at the solicitor's office, so let's go there," she said, typing in the address.

The office of Pattinson's and Associates was located in the 20th floor of a skyscraper in town, and they arrived last after Denyse,Dominick and some close relatives. Lauren insisted Mark come up with her, but he felt that it wasn't really his place to be there so they stood in the lobby going back and forth for ten minutes before he finally agreed to go up with her but wait outside the office.