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Chapter 21

"You okay?" Arthit caressed his lover's shoulder.

Kongpob looked up at Arthit and then at the large iron gate in front of them which was wide open, beyond which a large expanse of yard existed.

"I'm P'Arthit." Kongpob gave a tight smile.

Arthit nodded his head. They got out of the car and walked inside the graveyard.

Kongpob gulped as he entered the premises of the graveyard. He bit his lips to calm down his nerves, he looked at his hand when Arthit intertwined them. Kongpob looked up and they shared a soft smile before Arthit guided them to the particular gravestone.

Kongpob's eyes roamed around the place. Graveyards lined the eerie graveyard, some recently placed, whereas others, cracked and crumbling. Mold covered the engravings dedicated to the deceased, branches reaching out to eachother. Spiked, black fences surrounding the graveyard. The smell of old stone filled the dry air, weeds covering the graves of the dead, whose loved ones stopped visiting long ago.

The area was almost unwanted. Kongpob could see that it was like an abandoned place and Arthit and he was the only ones present there. He could make out which were new gravestones and which were old. But he could see that 90% of them were abandoned. No family to visit, it looked as if the persons who are buried itself were unwanted. He wished his parents' grave wasn't like that. His uncle wouldn't be that heartless right?

"Kong."

Kongpob looked at Arthit, he watched as Arthit made pushed him a little further and made him stand in front of two attached gravestones.

Kongpob looked down, he couldn't read out the names, the gravestone was covered with weed and moss. But Kongpob knew whose grave it was. With trembling hands, he walked forwards to remove the moss and weed from the stone with Arthit's help.

When it was done Kongpob pursed his lips as he read the names engraved on the gravestones.

"Mo-Mom, D-Dad..." Kongpob sobbed.

'Kosum Suttilak', 'Kerkklai Suttilak' was engraved beautifully on the black marble gravestone. Kongpob couldn't help but cry seeing how untidy the area around the gravestone looked. It looked abandoned as if no one cared about these. Kongpob didn't stop cleaning his parents' tomb with his hands that Arthit had to pull him back seeing how the latter was getting agitated.

"Kong..." Arthit whispered the younger's name as he pulled him to his chest, letting the latter cry on his shoulder. He didn't know what else to say. Both of them were sitting on the ground, Kongpob's hands which were muddy clutched onto Arthit's shirt like the elder was his only lifeline.

"It's okay, baby. It's okay, they're in a better place now." Arthit said as he stared at the engraved names on the stone.

"I miss them so much P, I miss them so much." Kongpob sobbed as he pressed his face against the elder's chest. His mind filled with his mom and dad's smiling faces towards him.

"They miss you too Kong, they miss you too. But they wouldn't be happy seeing you cry like this." Arthit kissed Kongpob's head.

Kongpob bit his lips trying to control his cries, soon he was able to control his tears. He pulled away from Arthit's chest and looked up at the latter who smiled back at him. He took the elder's hand and intertwined it, he moved closer to the gravestone.

"M-Mom, D-Dad. I'm sorry I wasn't able to come here any sooner. I'm sorry I didn't visit you in the past but I'll make sure that I'll from now on. I'll bring Sam to one day." Kongpob smiled through his tears.