Her wedding sucked but continued to go downhill from there

7 - the first funeral

I wore a cropped black shirt with long, bat-winged sleeves and a knee-length, straight black skirt. I brought the pen he had left with his notes after I drugged him and forced him to drive into the ocean. It was the one thing I didn't burn. I put the pen in the coffin and saw everyone else's meaningful object: a picture of him and his little sister, a piece of ugly homemade pottery that I can only assume he made for one of his family members as a gift, and so much other thoughtful stuff. Really, why did I think I should come? All I had to drop off was a meaningless pen, I was thinking to myself. I forgot that the most thoughtful thing I could do was be there for the grieving family. So I started to leave, but then his sister grabbed my arm, "Please, don't leave. Even if you didn't know him very well, I am sure he is smiling up there, thanking each and every one of you for being here today. Plus, it makes it so much easier for Mom to see the entire town here."

So I stayed at the funeral, stupid appealing to my emotions. I didn't know what you were supposed to do at a funeral, but apparently, it is not butting into a couple of strangers' conversation about the "tragic, terrible accident" at the morgue.

"Now you know the FBI doesn't want to disclose the number of deaths yet. But Blake has a brother whose wife just joined the FBI. So he heard all about this case from her and he told Blake, and Blake told me. They think only Porter Coffin died but about sixty bodies ended up burning. It's so sad." the first stranger exclaimed, over-emotionally. Then the second stranger just started rambling, "I know right? Like my little Joshie is so sad because his grandpa was in that morgue. He doesn't know what to do. Me and his dad are trying our best, we just can't make up for that relationship he had with his grandaddy and not being able to go to a grave and mourn like normal people. John thinks he'll get over it, but I don't kn–" "Sorry to interrupt my beautiful ladies but I heard you talking about the fire. I didn't even know that he had died. But I mean I guess that makes sense, you know? I didn't really know him well but it seemed to me that he had an incredible work ethi–" I had been talking and I didn't even realize how much I had been talking until the first stranger interrupted me and said, "Oh my goodness, I have never in my life met someone this rude. Have you Cynthia?" "Oh goodness me. No Ma'am. Sylvia, I have never met someone that rude. Especially to two grieving people who just lost a great friend. This lady is so insensitive." the lady named Cynthia rudely exclaimed. "Come on, Cyn, let's go and comfort the newly widowed."

After the Cynthia-Sylvia experience, I decided that was enough with the funerals today. This made me dread Mark's. But I mean, I am the hostess. I am the grieving fiance. They cannot be rude to me. Not at his funeral. But I did make quite sure that Cynthia and Sylvia would not be invited to Mark's funeral.