A beautiful sunday morning was up. What was once held was now let go. The chairs were arranged into four sections, each wrapped in white silk. There were flowers - sweet white and pink tulips slaying on the side, roses and peonies too, mostly given by friends and colleagues. Cate, in her white suit stood in front. She was beyond beautiful standing in front of everybody. This was it. It was now or never. There was no backing out now, for this would be the very las time. She looked around and saw everyone wearing the white motif. She was nervous and subtly shaking, but she could do this. She peeked at the paper she was holding making sure that everything was turning out the way it was planned.
She looked at the corner of the room, and she saw Dash with Edith on his lap and Laila on his side. Dash smiled at her, silently telling her that she could do it and it was all she needed. She took a deep breath as the people started filling the space. The unoccupied seats were starting to be filled. She could see a bunch of press waiting for them outside, waiting for the perfect moment. She wanted this to be private - to just dwell with just her family and friends, no cameras and no live coverage for the public to see.
Few of the people went to her before the ceremony; kissed her and hugged her, some even tried to talk to her for a few moments, but her mind was off. All she was thinking was how she would end this day. When she noticed that everything was ready, she stepped up into the podium, and even if her voice started shaking, she spoke, ready to spill her heart's out.
"I don't know how am I able to stand here, in front of you all, because honestly, my knees want to collapse. But no, I promised someone today that I will do it. That someone believed that I am dauntless and brave and now is the perfect time for me to prove it." She cleared her throat and tried to extract a smile for everyone to see, "Well, I promised that someone that I will cry no more, and I don't know if I'll be able to do it. Well, honey, my sweet Andrew, I hope you'll see that I'm trying not to cry, I'm trying so hard not to break that promise." Cate added as she looked at the golden casket on her side, and inside, was the dead body of her ex-husband, Andrew.
It's been almost four months since Andrew broke the news out. It was hard, but they had to accept it. Cate took a deep sigh and took a glance on her paper. She felt like her throat couldn't do it anymore, but she had to.
"My love, first of all, I want to give you my deepest apology. I am deeply sorry. If you were alive by now, I know you would shut me up, but really - I am sorry. I am sorry for all the times I dressed like forever, for all the times when you saw me as your happily ever after. I'm sorry for not being your endgame, instead, I pushed you to end us. 23 years of marriage - good and bad years mixed, but you were there with me, standing behind me, pushing me to whatever you think I could excel and in doing so, you chose to be left under my shadows. I didn't regret that our marriage ended, because it was the best, it was our mutual decision, it's just that I am sorry." And then her tears started falling, Cate held the mic a little tighter to somehow refrain herself from breaking down, "You always put me first, you loved me when I wasn't even lovable and even in your last exhale, you wanted the best for me. How could I unlove you? I couldn't, honey. Our marriage may have ended, but my heart still grows a space for my love for you. I could utter a million thank you for everything that you have done for me, for our kids, even for Sandra, but I know that my million thank you couldn't bring you back. I just want you to know that you will never be forgotten, sweetheart. You'll always be in my heart. We may have not experienced the forever we both wanted, but my 23 years with you were nothing, but an honor. To be loved by you, to be taken good care by you - that's something I can always be boastful of. You're unforgettable, Andrew. You will always be."
Dash approached Cate as soon as she finished delivering her eulogy. He handed his mom a handkerchief to wipe away her tears and he then escorted her back towards her seat. The rest of the day have been spent by family, close friends, and workers giving them their eulogies. The day was sad; the bright bluish sunday skies turned into its gloomiest version before it started to rain. Before the day ended, Andrew had been laid inside his resting place and when the time clocked to late afternoon, almost everyone decided to go home. Cate was approached by the people inside, telling her their condolences. She welcomed every kiss on the cheek, every hug, every whisper of "you're gonna be okay", because it was what she had to do. If only Sandra was there, but no, the doctors reprimanded her from going out since her eyes were still newly placed; she had to stay in the hospital to avoid complications.
YOU ARE READING
Brown Eyes | Loubbie
FanfictionTheirs was a different kind of love; they had played their roles during the day, but at night, away from the press people, away from the blinding lights, they found comfort from each other. But fate never favored them both and both ended up closing...
