Funeral In The Sky

Chapter 3: Funeral

Seven years ago

The scent of white roses filled the air. It was mixed with the strong aroma of brewed coffee. The room was perfect white. But everyone inside was dressed in black. And the look of agony was unmistakable in their eyes.

Funeral.

The lady sitting not far from me was pouring all her soul out into what seemed like an endless cry. She was covering her face with a white handkerchief and every once in a while I noticed her shoulders rising and falling. The man standing right next to her continuously patted her back, but I could see that his eyes were also swollen with tears.

Those two had been crying ever since they got in but they weren't the only ones. At the far left side of the room, another man was standing. He was staring blankly at the floor but I could definitely see that his eyes too were filled with so much agony.

I glanced around the room and each person I laid my eyes upon was either crying heavily or silently forcing back tears.

Suddenly, the door opened and a woman in her fifties stepped inside. The moment she was in the room, she knelt down and started walking towards the casket...on her knees.

Everyone looked around.

The distressed woman wept so loud and kept calling out the name of the deceased.

"Katrina, why did you leave us so soon? Good Lord, why did you take her away?"
The woman was weeping so hard and gradually everyone in the room started weeping along with her.

A drop of tear escaped my left eye. But it wasn't sadness that I was feeling right now. I was furious.

Hypocrites. I muttered to myself.

Still on her knees, the woman reached the front of the room where the silver casket was seated.

For a moment, she was just frozen there on the very spot but small cries escaped her throat. She was sobbing miserably. Or pretending to be. And then she extended her hands towards the casket. It was then that she started weeping back loudly.

"Katrina! You were so young. So pure. So delicate. It wasn't your time yet.. My poor Katrina... Oh God, why?"

All for the show. I thought.

She didn't stop weeping so loud and I knew that if she continued doing this for another minute she would surely faint.

God, what a lovely sight it would be.

It however seemed that some people from the crowd had read my thoughts since two men went over to her and grabbed her slowly. They were practically carrying her as they guided her to a chair.

When the woman was seated the crowd went still.

And so without thinking, I stood up from my chair and went up to the casket.

Just as I thought. She still looked beautiful. There was makeup on her face but I knew that underneath all the colorants, her lifeless facade was pale. But it wasn't evident now. For all I could see was this beauty before me. Black hair, thin lips, perfectly-shaped nose. She looked just the same. She looked like she was only sleeping. But for the first time in a long time, she looked like she was having a peaceful dream.

I touched the cold glass of the silver casket and stared once again at the beautiful woman inside.

Hello Mom.