Aunt Marie PoV
I pulled up to the church. There was a small crowd of people outside, waiting to go in. I looked in the rear-view mirror and saw a small tear run down my face. I sniffed and wiped it away quickly.
"Auntie, why are you crying?" Elena asked from the back. I smiled at her.
"It's nothing sweetie. Let's go inside." I got out of the car and opened the door. Tobey and Elena jumped out and followed me to the church.
"Such a shame... I used to babysit for him when he was 5." I heard a teenage girl say.
"I just came here for the food..." A man said, looking over at the small table of food I had set up. I kept on walking. I didn't want to cry in front of the children. Poor souls, they don't even know why they're here.
I spotted Kim and Barry at the back of the crowd, sitting on a bench and smoking a cigarette. They were both wearing light colours, and easily stood out among everyone. I was furious.
"The nerve to still smoke when your child just died..." I muttered as I walked up to them.
"Marie! It's good to see you!" Kim's face lit up. She took off her huge sunglasses and smiled, her face dripping in make-up.
"Yes, it's good to see you too." I quickly smiled and looked at Barry, who was looking off to the distance, casually taking a drag of his cigarette.
"Daddy!" Elena exclaimed. He looked down at her, narrowing his eyes. He took another drag and blew the smoke right in her face. I quickly picked her up and shot him a look. He shrugged and continued to look innocent.
"So... How did swimming lessons go today Tobey?" Kim asked. I sighed and looked at her, shaking my head.
"What?" She mouthed to me. I gestured to a patch of grass over by a tall willow tree. I put Elena down, took Kim's hand and dragged her over.
"You do realize that your son died a few days ago, right?" I asked her. She lit a cigarette and sniffed.
"Yes, I do." She looked me dead in the eye.
"Well, would it kill you to have some respect? To actually show that you care about him? Wearing a pink blouse to a funeral isn't setting a good example." I looked over to the children and their father. They were trying to get his attention, but instead he brought out a flask and took a hearty gulp from it. What a pig.
"Marie it's not a big deal." She whispered to me. "My son just died and this kind of stuff isn't important. Let's just celebrate his life today..."
I sighed again. "Don't use his death as an excuse. And yes, it is a big deal. Just look at your husband Kim! He doesn't have a care in the world! He looks like you dragged him to some Women's Show instead of his son's funeral!"
"Don't start insulting people!" She whispered harshly.
"Oh, I'm sorry." I said in a mocking tone. "And yet you stand there, smoking the very thing that killed your son. Yes Kim, you killed your son. Do you read what is on the boxes of those things? They say, 'Do not smoke while pregnant'. But you don't listen, do you? Now you know why they call them cancer sticks, don't you?"
She shot me a dirty look and wiped her eyes, crying silently. Well, two can play at that game, I thought to myself.
I saw people walking into the church. I walked over, grabbed Elena and Tobey's hand and went in. It was a small and quaint church, and not many people showed up. I sent out over three dozen invitations. Only sixteen people showed up.
The ceremony started quickly. "We are gathered here today to honour the life of Benjamin..." The priest began. Suddenly the door opened. I looked and saw Barry stumble in, looking drunk and foolish.
"Oh look, the ceremony started already! And we didn't even notice!" Barry bellowed and laughed. I couldn't see where Kim was. People around me started whispering and pointing at them. I turned around again and looked at the front.
"I want to say a few words!" He continued. He stumbled up to the front and pushed the priest out of the way. He gripped the side of the stand and looked at the coffin.
"This is my son." He said to the audience and pointed at the coffin. "You know, my favourite memory of him was at Christmas time. He was sooooo happy at first, excited about his visit from Santa Claus." Barry began to snicker. "And then, I told him that Santa wasn't REAL! I even showed him the suit and put it on, explaining how I was Santa, and that he's just some random asshole that parents make up! You guys should have seen his FACE! He started crying, saying that I was lying and that he IS real. It was the funniest thing I've seen in years!" Barry started laughing and smacked the stand so hard, it toppled over.
"Auntie, Santa isn't real?" Elena's lip started to quiver.
"Yes, Santa is very real. Your father just likes to make up stories." I hugged her. A lot more people started whispering loudly and pointing at Barry, who was roaring with laughter.
I got up and picked up Elena. "Tobey, let's go." I started walking down the aisle. I couldn't stay any longer.
"Marie..." Kim stood up. She was sitting in the back row. I ignored her and kept on walking.
"Auntie, where are we going now?" Tobey asked from the back when I buckled him in. I gave him a sad look.
"Home Tobey, we're going home." My voice cracked as I got in and rode away from the church.
