A RAY OF LIFE

26.

So my life hasn't been predictable or subtle, oh who am I telling....of course you all know how many turns of events happen everyday in my life, so what I've stoped doing is getting shocked over things. I mean it's certainly useless now to widen your eyes and gasp in horror...I'm pretty immune to it do it so now I just save my breathes for something more bigger.
Anyways,
We were all set to move to the graveyard when a voice came rupturing the silence right in between and got everyone's attention.

"Iris?" And I turned around to have my another shock but didn't gasp this time. I stayed mute.
Derek was standing between the two large gates of the chapel ceasing the sharp rays of the sun. He had such heroic entry, I started to envy him for it.
I couldn't clearly see his face to fathom his inners but his voice could tell me that he was heavy from inside. His voice was clear yet I could feel presence of a lump or barrier in his throat.

Before I could proceed further and stop staring him like that, Charlotte screamed "who on earth invited you...you bastard. Get out of here, you ruined my daughter. Get out....." And she screamed so loud that I sensed that next moment her lungs will be out screaming on her for yelling out that loud.
I gotta stop loving caricatures.

"Iris what's happening here?" And like he completely ignored Charlotte or what, he just ascended towards me with his questions and I could feel the wobble in my knees as almost everybody was now staring me with strange eyes, even Charlotte.

"I....I....I can explain Derek.....now....now is not the righ time please..." I tried to speak but it all came out as half whispers and half clogged throated voice. I was trembling for some reasons. Derek has always been so passionate, be it in love or in anger and I was perhaps scared that he might start hating me for doing all this and hiding from him.

"You said you broke up with him..?" Charlotte said in her cold firm voice, the one she used on the phone, and the moment I shifted my eyes from Derek to her, it was more horrible. I could sense agony of betrayal and anger in her face and orbs right now.

"Charlotte please.....let's....let's just complete the ritual and I'll explain everything to you...please...." I tried to delay it as obviously it wasn't supposed to be a hindrance in the good deed we were doing here.
Somehow she managed and turned around to the minister saying " we shall move Sir, I don't want anything else to intervene my daughter's last rites" and saying so she led the crowd towards the graveyard next block.

Derek didn't come with us, I turned around to see him but he sat there on the last desk with his head hung low. For a moment I thought I should go and sit with him but then again, Charlotte needed me and so did I, needed her. We went to the graveyard where Charlotte's husband, Cathy's father was buried. It was more like a family plot. I never dared to ask her or anyone about Cathy's father, neither did it ever occur to me but seeing his memoir I got reminded of the fact that he was the one sending his kids away and leaving them and I wanted to know why. Anyways, the minister read the verses for both the coffins. Surprisingly no one was crying now, not even Charlotte. The coffins were put down to the pit gradually and we all took a handful of the soil there and poured it over each coffin respectively.

People started fading away when I and Charlotte kept staring at the workers putting the memoir on each graves.

Catherine Jones
(28-july-1993 to 09-August-2016)
In loving memory of amazing daughter,
Best mother and an amzaing woman.
Cathy, you will be in our hearts forever!

That's when I got to know that her full name was Catherine. Antique!
I rushed back to the chapel where I have left a piece of my heart grieving alone, I couldn't stay much away from him. Charlotte was gazing me with her deathly glaring eyes. I decided to dodge that for time being as there were still alot of people out there and I didn't want to fetch anymore attention than already there.