MARIEL

23~ Dad ~

Esther sat with her father in the center aisle, listening to the voices on the stand chant soft, grim hymns. She shivered. The church was cold. Her long-sleeved, black dress lifted just above her knees while she sat, and she felt goosebumps prickle her skin. Her hair, tied in a loose bun, tickled the back of her neck and raised goosebumps there as well. Quietly, she scanned the church, reluctantly admitting to herself that she was looking for Mariel. The sanctuary contained most of the congregation members. The black casket was propped in the front of the sanctuary, and the Jameson family sat in the front pew, dressed in all black. Phil's flaming red hair stood out amongst them all, and Esther watched him as his head continuously shifted backwards, as if looking for someone. Her eyes followed his gaze, turning her head slowly to look to the back of the church. There, she saw Mariel, suited in a slim cut black suit and black button down. His hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and her eyes scanned downwards involuntarily and noticed his shiny, black, pointed dress shoes. He stood straight, upright, his hands crossed over each other in the front if his body. His eyes were directed towards Phil, and she wondered what interest the two had in each other. She remembered how swift he had been to leave last night, how she had texted him to make sure he was not planning some form of assault on Phil. Not that she fully cared, but the last thing she wanted to see was Mariel get in trouble with the law for a seemingly uncontrollable raging moment. But... God, he was sexy.

Her attention to the service was restored when she saw Todd follow her gaze. She snapped her head back to the front of the church. The last thing she needed was a lecture from her father.

The service lasted another half hour before the congregation approached the closed casket and bid their goodbyes. Esther felt chilled as she approached the black box, which left her mind to imagine what it enclosed. She heard Phil's daughters crying, and she stepped past the casket to continue on. The hymns continued. It felt colder today, empty. It was not the same in the church without the warmth of Fr. Jerome, and suddenly her heart hurt. Not because Carolyn was dead, but because Fr. Jerome's life was not present in this church.

The service ended, and as the rest of the congregation prepared to leave the sanctuary to journey to the cemetery, Todd turned to her. "Go ahead and wait in the car. I'm going to talk to Phil."

Esther glanced up and saw that Mariel was gone. She did not hesitate to listen to her father and walked briskly towards the doorways of the sanctuary. She wanted to find Mariel, needed to find him. Something urged her on... she felt she could not hold what she was feeling inside anymore.

When she entered the hallway, she scanned the crowd. Esther noticed Mariel's tall frame above many of the other church members, and with a quickly beating heart, and walked forward. The start of her smile disappeared when she saw him. He was standing against the wall near the coat closet, and he was not alone.

Victoria Jameson stood mere inches from him, looking up at him with eyes Esther understood too well as those of an attracted individual, and her hand was on his sleeve. Esther watched, trying to convince herself that she had no right to feel... betrayed in some way. Yet, she did.

'The girl just lost her mother, for fuck's sake,' she thought to herself as the crowd moved around and past her. But she could not help the overwhelming feeling of jealousy sweep her body like cold water, especially as she watched Mariel pull Victoria into his arms for an embrace that, while she was sure was innocent on his part, seemed to turn into something more intimate as Victoria comfortably positioned her body closer to him.

Her face went hot. Involuntary tears filled her eyes.

'You're a fucking joke,' she thought to herself, struggling to maintain her composure. 'You're pining after a guy who clearly has no interest in you. Give it up.'