Empire

Prologue: Funeral Day

I loathed how it was a nice warm sunny day.  It should have been dark, gloomy and cold. Just like how I was feeling at the moment sitting on this chair, velvet and uncomfortable. Everyone around me was in expenses black clothing, dressed for a funeral. The people next to me were sobbing and touched me all morning. Saying words like "everything is going to be okay" or "how are you feeling?". I wanted nothing but to slap them, beg them to please stop asking if I'm okay because I'm not okay. How can I when I just lost both of my parents and I was sitting with a bunch of strange people who I've met maybe once. Looking down over two large brown caskets that my parents were in, Oh what I'd give to just hug my mom right now. To feel her hand petting my hair. I tried holding back the tears as the thought came to mind. I had to bite the bottom of my lip, and sighing very loudly, loud enough that everyone turned to face me and someone even put their hand on my shoulder. I did not even bother to look up at who it was.

By the time everyone left, it was almost six O'clock, meaning they hand to catch their dinner reservations in the city. I was offered to join most of them out but politely refused their inventions. I did not want to move from where I was. I wanted to stay here and be the last person to tell my parent's goodbye.

I watched with curiosity, how the cemetery employees dug up their holes in the nice green grass, destroying the landscape to make a new home for the caskets and the dead. I assumed that's what happened too when they got the call to dig two more holes. I mean homes. Often times people bury their dead nearby, or in the case of New York City, the Greenwood Cemetery is the golden ticket of cemeteries. I had another idea from that crowded place, I wanted peace and quiet, green grass and lots of trees, a pond full of life. So when I go visit, I will be out of the city and alone with my parents.

"Miss we have to get going" my driver said as he too noticed that I was about to be asked to leave so that they could start the burial process. Walking over to the car, I stood there leaning against my car, watching everything, from the crane lifting the caskets and gently putting them into the ground to putting the dirt back into the ground over the caskets. Over my parents.

The weather shifted quickly into a cold breeze, the sound of clouds rolling in, which did not work well with my short black dress and dark sunglasses. After the crewmen were finished, leaving small hills of fresh dirt on the ground to signal that two new fresh graves have been buried, I knew I had to give up now, there was nothing left to watch, nothing left to wish for, so I got into my car where David, my driver had been patiently waiting. "Ms. Romano," he said as he opened the car door for me. " Thanks, David" I quietly said.