Reason

Chapter 24:

The funeral was inside an elaborate funeral home on the outskirts of Ranglewood. The place was large and could hold numerous funerals at once. Ariel's was in the furthest room to the back. Tony walked next to me as I crutched my way to the room she was in. We passed by many rooms, some occupied and some not. The ones that were occupied were filled with the sound of crying and talking.

We made it to the last room and I stopped. On an easel next to the open door, was a big picture frame. It hosted a beautiful picture of Ariel and it had a wonderful quote next to it. "When someone you love becomes a memory, that memory becomes a treasure. Love and miss you. -Dad and Mom" I studied the picture of Ariel. It seemed to have been taken recently because some of the daycare kids were in the back of the picture and it brought tears to my eyes. Ariel had her red hair up in a bun and was wearing a blue dress. Her smile could bring happiness to anyone and it was so, so sad that the world would never see a smile as genuine as that again. I looked away.

"You ok, Aubrey?" Tony asked, putting a hand on my shoulder. I nodded but it wasn't the kind of nod that could reassure him. He noticed right away and folded his arms around me. I buried my head in his chest and cried silently to myself. Tony's large hands went up and down my back, working out the stress and emotions I was keeping in. I took a final deep breath and pulled away.

He gave me a smile and then walked into the room. I stayed out in the hallway, scoping out the people inside. Ellie was there, Tessa was there, Iris was there, Lauryn was there and even Allie who I wouldn't have guessed. They were all here with their husbands paying respect to the one woman who had helped them out so much in the past. How many times were their kids there? How many hours did they spend with Ariel? Did Ariel spend more time with the kids than their parents? It was hard subjects to go into. Most people were sensitive about spending time with their kids so really how much did Ariel save for them? How much did she save for me?

If it hadn't been for Ariel, I didn't think I would be able to work. She was a rock in the middle of the ocean. The ocean was chaos and was often unpredictable but Ariel the rock was always there if you needed her. Even in the wee hours of the morning or the darkest part of night. She was there ready to serve and that's what her legacy would be.

I walked in. The room was decorated very nicely. Comfortable couches lay on the perimeter of the room which were occupied by older couples who were sobbing and keeping tissues up to their faces. The walls were a shade of tan and matched wonderfully with the chairs and the projecter that was playing pictures of Ariel through her infant stages to her adult life. There were boards full of pictures of friends and family all over the room posed with Ariel. Most of them had many people standing by them so it was impossible for me to look at any of the pictures. Ariel's body was laying in an oak coffin, open, with her hands on her chest and flowers then in her hands. She looked beautiful and looked to be almost sleeping. Her eyes were closed but held a tint of blue eyeshadow that matched the dress she was wearing. The same dress she was wearing in the picture.

My eyes again developed tears as I walked over to her coffin. There were so many things I wanted to say to her that I hadn't before. I never really thanked her for all she did for my kids. She practically was Claire's nanny and Claire was at her house almost everyday and I never got to tell her why she was there at the facility. I was always the mysterious one and I never got to share my secrets when I was ready.

"I'm sorry for everything." I replied, touching her coffin. I could feel an entire weight lift off my shoulders. It was as if Ariel had taken my burden and threw it away. I felt like I could breath normally now and it was like I was a new person. Who would guess that coming to this funeral would do this for me?

I took a deep breath and turned around. There were people waiting in line to see the coffin so I moved out of the way. I caught the eye of some of my friends but immediately looked away. I may have had a burden lifted off my shoulders but it wasn't like I wanted to tell them just yet. Were they ready for the truth? Ready for the truth that brought them here to this funeral on this beautiful day?