After the Storm (manxman)

Prologue

Prologue

(Marlon Teixeira, my idea of Luis)

Another group of Jackson's business acquaintances stopped in front of me and offered their condolences and uttered the repetitive epithet of, "I am so sorry for your loss and we are praying for you." The other duplicate phrase was, "He will surely be missed."

I nodded my head at all the appropriate times and accepted their well wishes as Jackson's remaining family evilly eyed me from across the room where they had no choice but to be silent and unobtrusive, that was exactly where Jackson wanted the greedy parasites that were his half brother and step mother.

They were still reeling after two solid years from the reading of Jackson Randall Sr. last will and testament that had left everything to his oldest son from a previous marriage, which meant a multimillion dollar business Jackson Jr. had been groomed for and managing even before he had ill.

Now Jackson Jr's. will knocked all their hopes out of the water of ever getting their greedy hands on a penny of the Randall fortune. Jackson made sure he left millions of worth of assets and the company with a trusted board of trustees to oversee his business dealings, all of which now belonged to me, the deceased legal spouse. How I hated that fucking term when I heard it applied to me by Jackson's team of attorneys.

I paid the ex-Randalls absolutely no mind whatsoever, I don't even know why they even bothered to show up. A server glided past me and I took a drink off the tray and fervently wished that it contained alcohol, but I had no such luck as I sipped the sparkling juice.

Closing my eyes, I just wanted this to be over. I just wanted to go back to my empty house with my empty heart and try to figure out what I was going to do with myself now that Jackson was no longer here as my soul purpose in life.

My eyes scanned the multitude of people all wearing the required dismal black attire, designer labels, but black all the same to mourn a man they knew nothing about. Was I sorry that Jackson was gone? To be honest, I am relieved but lost. Jackson is in a better place and he went to the grave with his secret intact. A secret I had willingly devoted twelve years of my life keeping and caring for him.

I eyed the funeral director and he must have picked up on my silent message because he started making his rounds and pointedly thanked everyone for coming. The universal sign of, go the Hell home. I quietly made a slow round around the room, the fatigue and depression of this entire situation weighed heavily on my shoulders.

I gave people a wan smile and quietly thanked them for sharing in my moment of grief and I moved on. I avoided the ex-Randalls altogether and made a beeline straight towards the limo parked outside that would take me home, etiquette be damned. I was tired and I was so done with pretending anymore.

"Luis, Luis...Where are you going?" Danielle shouted as she sprinted towards me. I had one foot in the damn car already and I cursed my luck as she stopped in front of me with her hands on her hips.

"Dani, I don't have the energy or the will to engage you right now. I am going home. I am going to have a drink, and I am going to bed. In that order, so save whatever speech you are about to make on being surrounded by loved ones in my time of need and give me my space." I snapped and I almost felt bad as I watched her expression close off and she stepped back from me, but again, I am tired of pretending. I just needed some damn room to breathe for a minute. I felt like I was being smothered by everyone and I am so done with all of it. Jackson was gone now and everything was finished.

I turned away from my sister and slid into the car. My sister meant well, but like everyone else, she saw only what Jackson wanted the world to see. They had no idea what really happened behind the closed doors of our home and I promised my best friend, my companion, and my now dead husband that I would never reveal the real truth behind our relationship.

My gaze barely registered the landscape as the luxury car shuttled me home. I was just happy to be somewhere other than that opulent room in that swanky funeral parlour with people asking me, how I was holding up and telling me to be strong. I have been willingly doing all those things for Jackson, and I had made him my life, and now he is gone.

I knew it was going to happen and I had even thought that I was prepared for it to happen. The day that lovely man would draw his last breath and joined the other Angels up in heaven. Now that it has actually happened, I have mixed feelings about it. I don't know what it is I should be feeling.

People expected me to be the grieving widower, crying and throwing myself into the cold dark earth on top of my husband's ornate casket. They expected me to be riling at the heavens at the unfairness of the, "Cancer," that took Jackson away from me in the prime of his life, but I had just stood there, numb and dry-eyed as they lowered him into his final resting place.

The car pulled through the gates of the enormous house that was Jackson's home well before we met. The picture perfect mansion he had moved me into to be his everything. Once the vehicle stopped in front of the cobblestone steps, I waited until the driver opened my door and I thanked him for delivering me home safely and slipped a little something in his hand when I shook it.

By the time my foot hit the top step Melba, our long time housekeeper already had the front door open for me and God bless her, all she did was give me an encouraging wink as I walked past by her and gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze as my greeting. She already knew and was privy to all the details between Jackson's and I unconventional relationship, so at least there was no hiding anything with her, and for that I was sincerely grateful.

Out of the hundreds of people that were in attendance today, I knew for a fact that all those tears and well wishes were just as empty and meaningless as if they were discussing the weather. I wondered how many of those same snobs would have showed up if they knew the real Jackson Jr. The man who had been so afraid to be shunned by those same fickle class of over privileged and judgemental society members he hid his entire illness from.

It had been a constant source of contention between us, him seeking their approval and me telling him that nothing in his life was any of their business. It took the first three years of our special arrangement for me to give up arguing with him about it altogether and I just went with the flow to make him happy.

His health had started to decline by then, and I had promised him that I would be the one real thing in his life. I had promised him that I would be there for him no matter what. I had made him my world. My entire existence had revolved around him and now he was gone. God rest his tormented soul, at least now he can be at peace, he was no longer suffering. He is free and that made my heavy heart just a little bit lighter.