Law and Order: Special Victims Unit Gangster

40. Explaining Death

It was now Friday, the day of the funeral. Everyone was perfectly composed, there were no tears, but no one felt like saying a word. They all sadly walked down to the cemetery together on that cold morning. Juliana and Rafael had pitched in the remaining $300 for the funeral and casket, and she and Sammy had made up; he had given the gun back to Marlon, and gotten his money back. Marlon had also realized his mistake in giving the gun to Sammy; he was young and innocent, and needed to stay that way. Their funeral was very silent, except for the famous Tupac song, Dear Mama, that they had all decided to play at the funeral as they watched the casket be lowered into the earth. It had beautiful red roses and white flowers on it, Victoria Vasquez's favorite. Everyone looked fondly and solemnly at her, one last time, as she was lowered beside her headstone. It was a beautiful service; there were no speeches or anything, just music, love, respect, and silence. All of Juliana's free siblings and cousins had come, along with her brother Carlos and her sister Selena, who were briefly allowed to visit from jail. Mari, sadly, had committed too serious of a crime and was too much of a risk to send out, which angered everyone. The adults were all shaken, sad, and angry, while the children were mostly only confused. The older ones sort of realized what was happening; they would never see their grandmother again. Towards the end of the two hour-long service, they all headed back to Victoria Vasquez's old home, where almost everyone was drinking. Juliana, which upsetted her, couldn't, not with her twins.
  "Auntie Juliana?" Juliana's nephew Cyrus called.
  "Yes, sweetie?" Juliana asked as she sat with Rafael, snapping out of her trance.
  "What happened to Grandma?" he asked.
  Juliana sighed. "She was really sick, baby. But no one knew."
  The boy processed the information slowly and sadly. "Is she in heaven?"
  Juliana was silent for a moment. "Yeah, Cyrus, I hope so."
  "How do we know where people go when they die?" he asked.
  "Well, we.... We don't for sure. We just have faith, in God, and in everything else. That's when you believe a lot," Juliana explained.
  "Can I.... Can I have a hug, Auntie?" he asked in a soft voice.
  Juliana nodded with a tearful smile. "Of course you can," she murmured, scooping the somewhat small boy into her arms.
  "I've never seen a grown up cry. I thought only little kids cry."
  Juliana chuckled sadly. "I know the feeling. But adults get sad too. Everyone here is just as sad as you are; we all got feelings," she explained. "I'm wit the police, you know. We help people who get hurt. A lot of em are adults, kids too. They all cry at some point, because they're sad."
  "Even after they get hurt?" Cyrus asked.
  "Yeah, even then, Cyrus. Just ask your uncle Rafael."
  Rafael nodded sadly. "It's true. Kids, adults.... It doesn't matter how old you are if something bad happens, or if you're really sad," he tried.

Cyrus said nothing, and only held tight to Juliana, burying his head in her jacket.
  "You can stay right here for as long as you want, baby," Juliana promised him. "We all feel the same way right now."
Rafael sighed quietly as he hugged Juliana, holding onto her as well. "I hate explaining death to children."
  She nodded. "But sometimes it's easier than explaining death to an adult."