Here Forever

The Funeral

"Second chance doesn't always mean the happy ending. Sometimes, it's just another shot to end things right."

Finally the day that George and Fiona most awaited along with the rest of the family came. It was a cloudy and windy afternoon, Fiona had to fix her hair occasionally as it rustled with the wind. The ceremony was held for close friends and relatives ranging from the ones who gushed about how much she grew the last time they saw her, to the ones who would glare at her accusingly. She couldn't look them in their eyes, she kept her head low, avoiding any eye contact and avoiding every possibility of a new conversation. When it was time for the prayers, Fiona felt numb, while Trinity and the twins were in hysterics. Fiona gingerly played with her fingers as she watched the minister step aside and asks for George to honor few words about the deceased woman resting in the casket. Fiona was shocked to see her father moving ahead and agreeing to conduct the speech for her grandmother. She held her breath as the voice of her father boomed over the cemetery.

"I want to thank everyone for coming here today to celebrate and share the life of my amazing mother," his voice was cold as he spoke the last couple of words before introducing himself, "For those who do not know me, my name is George Collins. I am the eldest." Some ladies in the back glared with disgust when he introduced himself and some became gloomy with sympathy. Fiona felt her blood boiling. She tried hard to ignore those discriminative thugs of society, but ended up scowling back at them. The cowardice species among them stepped back while the daring ones continued the harassing.

"I don't know how to describe the humble lady I call my mother in common words. The truth is I never truly knew her, no one could. She was the most mysterious and reserved woman anyone could know. After the early demise of my father, when I was merely 7 years old, my mother took over the firm to provide for her children. I always wondered what she working on, never sitting, and never resting and on occasion arguing with people I didn't know." He looked over at Trinity and gave her a faint smile, "We, my sister Trinity and I, had nothing yet we had everything important. I remember how riled up she got when we raced from the kitchen to backyard covered in lasagna sauce," he laughed through his nose but his eyes never left the face of his mother.

"My mother was an ideal wife to my father, William. They were the Adam and Eve of our family, they were meant to be. Always arguing over little things and getting back together within the next five minutes." Fiona saw how her father was trying to hold himself together, she was listening intently feeling that he would never repeat these words again. "That always happened, they would fight like archenemies but within the next few seconds they would be cooking together. Life was easier then, when we were all together. But nothing stays forever, not even memories..." His voice came to halt and he swallowed the bile rising in his throat. It was hard for him, to talk about his mother but maybe today he will let out everything he had been keeping pent up and he could finally live in peace again?

"Things changed when our father died in that bridge accident. Everything changed; our home, our relationships, and our mother. The drastic change was obvious to us, Trinity and I. Our mother was never the same...." A moment of silence was shared between them, George said nothing. Fiona thought that he might be recollecting himself to speak again and she waited for him to start back up. Seconds passed and the crowd became restless, the whispers started moving between the crowd as the silence stretched on for minutes. Looking back at her father she saw how broken and fragile he looked. He lost his mother, a mother who never loved him, but nonetheless his mother. She felt the need to go to him and comfort him. Walking slowly towards him, Fiona thought about the thousands of reasons why he looked so pained and terrible.

"Dad..." she whispered, touching his shoulder. With a jerk George awakened from his trance and wiped the moisture from his cheek.

"I can't do it. I am sorry." He spoke in such a low voice that Fiona thought she didn't even hear him right and without warning he walked off and disappeared into the crowd. All eyes were on him as he passed the crowd but that didn't matter to him, or Fiona. Fiona stood there looking at the back of her father but didn't go after him. He needed his space and she would give him it. But all aren't as considerate as Fiona.