Unforeseen

The Funeral

After a week of early grief, it was time for the funeral.
Yelena had skipped school and Ludmilla had been sent home 4 times for crying too much at school.
Sven and Lillie stayed in Sven's old room and Vladimir arrived with his wife Daphne 2 days before the funeral.
Everyone close to Sasha was invited and mourned with them dreadfully.
Yelena's grandparents flew all the way from Moscow to bury their daughter in a foreign country.
Svetlana looked older and Hans seemed almost deadly. They had lost their precious baby girl and they seemed lifeless.

Sasha's older brother, Nico, came with his German wife and two kids and the whole family was finally complete.

They cried at the wake and things didn't seem any different when it was the day of the funeral.

Yelena looked in the miror, she wore black dress with long lace sleeves, black heels and her hair was tied painfully into a tight ponytail.
She wore no make-up and her eyes almost swelled up from all the crying.

The house smelt of death. Her grandparents were in the lounge with some relatives. Her friends were outside waiting for the calling. Rafael was at the bottom of the stairs in a black tuxedo and he looked so handsome.

"Hi."
Yelena remained silent. He took her hand and walked with her into the lounge when she stopped her tracks.

"What's wrong?"
"I can't do this."
"What do you mean."
"I can't be here."
"What..."
"I can't...I can't...I won't!"

Yelena broke down and Rafael carried her back up to her room.
She cried in his arms and felt so safe.
He put her gently down on her bed and kissed her.
"I'll call you when we have to go."
"Stay..."
Her voice was like a whisper.
He sat next to her on her bed and she cried on his shoulder.

"Let's go, you two."
Daphne had walked into the room and told them that it was time to go to the graveyard.
Yelena held Rafael's hand and walked into car. Rafael drove it. Zoë, Thad and Christina were riding with them too.

"How about some tunes."
Thad turned on the radio and Celine Dion's song'Because you love me' played.
"Switch it off now!"
Thad switched it off and trembled at her voice.
"That was her favourite song. She sang it everytime she tucked me or LuLu into bed."
"I'm so sorry."
Yelena stayed silent and unresponsive the rest of the drive.

They arrived at the graveyard and took their seats under the stretch tent. Rafael was next to Yelena and Zoë was on the other side.
They started with the Russian hymns and Svetlana cried profusely. Hans tried to keep her firm, but she broke down and cried in his arms.
Ludmilla sang the hymns with pride, only because she felt it to be a tribute to her deceased.
Yelena just sat there, stary eyed and still. Not a peep coming from her, only her tears flowing down her cheeks and an occasional sniff in.

"Can we have the beloved's loved ones come forward?"
They all stood up with their roses in their hands. White roses, Sasha's favourite.
"Let us start with the parents of the deceased."
Svetlana and Hans walked closer to the white mahogany coffin and spread the roses over it. Then Ludmilla, Sven, Vladimir and finally Yelena, hand in hand with Rafael to keep her from falling.
They had now started to drop the coffin when Yelena caught from the corner of her eye the monster who had broken her. Charles. He had brought with him his wife and two sons. He really had a nerve to even appear.

The guests had started heading for the reception area when Yelena told Rafael to go without her.
"Why?"
"I need to be alone with mama."
"Ok."
He kissed her passionately and left her alone to tend toher burning wounds.
"Mama. I know I have already bid farewell but I came here to wish you luck. You have left many behind, which is a grand cost. But it is worth it. You will start a new life without us and you will be happy again. It is very hard for is but we will heal. Some faster than others. Good luck and keep well through your new journey. We love you and we will miss you dearly."

Yelena blew a kiss to the coffin six feet under and walked to the reception.
Inside the main hall she saw Charles hugging Ludmilla and this made her blood boil. The tears in her eyes turned to stone and her face turned a very spiteful red.
"Bloody bastard, let go of her!"
She pulled him away from her and he was now facing her. He felt like he was facing death itself.
"Yelena not here."
Sven tried to calm her down but she wasn't having it so he asked Charles to leave the hall. Charles left with no hesitation and returned to his car.

Yelena stormed out of the reception and found him there at his car. Standing with his new family.
She walked up to them and Charles saw her. He had to do something, and fast.
"I had just come to pay my respects and give my farewell..."
"...who said we needed it?"
"Hush child. That is no way to speak to your father."
She had spoken. Anne Whittier had spoken. The woman who started this whole mess had the nerve to speak. Better yet, she tried to scold Yelena.

"What?"
"He is your father and deserves some respect from you."
"And who do you think you are to tell me this nonsense?"
"A woman of dignity who prides herself in her marriage, family..."
"Fuck off."
Yelena spoke with a smile on her face. She was going to enjoy killing this woman.

"What do you two really want here?"
"Exactly that. To pay our respects and give our farewell."
"Well you can give to someone else because we don't want it."
"I think we deserve to be here..."
"No...no...no. Do you know what you deserve..." Yelena walked closer to Anne and Charles blocked her way to stop her.

"You deserve to go back home, to hell."
Yelena still hadn't raised her voice, but her tone spoke louder than a gunshot.
"Stop being so mean to my mother, we are family."
"My only family is in there, grieving!! You are all strangers who deserve every evil eye coming your way..."
"....Yelena stop..."
"...and I'll be more than happy to make your lives a living hell..."
"...Yelena no. Stop!"
"...and you know why I want to destroy you, Anne. Because you are a home-wrecking bitch!!!"
Yelena screamed so loudly it made all of them jump and Charles felt so guilty for it.

"Yelena shut up!!"
Charles screamed at Yelena and he had all her attention on him now. He felt so exposed and vulnerable.
"I would also like to destroy you. Mr. Worthington. Bloody bastard that goes for every mini skirt in sight. You cheated on mama and got this bitch pregnant, now you wanna come and pay your bloody respects?!"
She walked over to him and looked him straight in the eyes.
"I'll make sure you never see a pint of happiness again!"
Yelena punched Charles right in the face and made his nose bleed.
"Charles!!!"
Yelena looked at Anne and spat at her shoes before walking away.

Yelena turned around slightly and pulled out her left middle finger at all of them. She then walked into the hall and continued like nothing had happened.