The Girl with the two grave stones

Done.

"Hugo! Thank god, there you are! Dennis, did you know about the attic floor? Whatever! Can you please come with us? She is my aunt and she and Oscar gave us this house so it would be rude if you didn't come", my mom explained.

"Yes. I will come with you. I might not know her but I found out a bit about her", I explained and mom and Dennis looked at each other in confusion. "It is okay. No need to understand. I'll get changed. I'll be quick."

I ran into my room and got dressed in my best black clothes, ran out again and put the book under my pullover as I closed the jacket. I didn't want mom to know.

The drive to the graveyard didn't take long and I could already see uncle Eric and uncle Dustin in the distance. Oh. Sorry, Jana, for not realizing this. Embarassing.

There also was Grandpa Anton with Grandma Cara and both of them were crying. Relatable. He lost a sister. A twin sister. And she lost her best friend. I am sorry for you. She was great.

We finally found a place to park and went to the graveyard to stand around the coffin that looked very expensive and was - in fact - open. Thank you, Jana. Or thank you, Row - I don't know.

More and more people came and more and more people stood around her. A lot of people with these strange helmets in their hands. Other soldiers. I immediatly recognized Barns - just one leg and the left ear missing. He sat in a wheelchair.

All brave men.

Jana wasn't that old. Not that old. I knew that. The soldiers also were not that old. The best people die young, dad once said.

I feel like knowing her for a long time now. I feel like she was something like my second grandma. But I never met her even once before.

A sad thing, if you think of it.

"De...Dad? Do you have a pen or a pencil or something?", I asked.

"Why'd you call me dad? Usually you just call me by my name. Or Den. You don't have to call me dad because I am not. You know that", he said.

"But I want to. You are my dad, too. But now ... have you got a pencil?", I asked again.

He took a pen out of his pocket and handed it to me. I felt like he was so surprised by the fact that I wanted to call him dad that he just forgot to ask why I needed a pen at a funeral.

I may be eleven but I am pretty smart for my age. Ask mom. She'll tell you. And ask Anton - he, too.

Dennis concentrated on greeting people again while I turned around, pulled the book out of my pullover and opened it at the last page. The back of it was blank and so I took dad's pen and scribbled a few words that i wanted to tell her in it.

Then I handed the pen back to him and hid the book in the big pocket of my jacket. I also started looking for Row. For Oscar. I don't know how I should call him.

He was never really described in any way in the notebook but I felt like I must've seen him before.

That didn't really make sense.

He just looked like his name was Row. And he was carrying a military jacket with the name Rowland and one with the name Tuckerman so that made much sense.

I wanted to go to him but Dennis held me by the arm asking me where I wanted to fo because it would start really soon so I should better stay with them and not run around.

I just wanted to talk to Row but I can also do that afterwards. I wanted to hand the booklet to him and tell him a few things that I thought about his now dead wife.