After I lost you

Chapter 37: The funeral

Alan found a sheet and covered old Billy's body with it. "We'll have the funeral tomorrow. Only close friends, like the workers and that old man from the town" he said. Thalia had stopped crying but she was still shaking. "I'll go tell them." she said with a clear voice. "Are you sure Thalia?" I asked her. "I can go if..." "No miss, I'll do it. You go upstairs and get some sleep." I agreed, knowing I couldn't change her mind and got upstairs.

I couldn't sleep. All night, I could hear Thalia and Alan talking about what had happened. I knew that they were all crying and I started crying too. 'It was all my fault' I told myself 'I am the reason of his death' I thought and cried myself to sleep...

The next morning was the funeral. Everyone dressed in black, silent and still, just watching while the casket was being buried. After the funeral, the old man from the town came towards me. "It's a pity..." he whispered. "I know" I said, "and none of his relatives could come" "Old Billy had no relatives. His parents died when he was young, he had no siblings and his wife..." he tried to say. "Did you know her?" I asked him. "She was my sister. She was pregnant but died in birth. The baby too." "I am sorry..." "That's how life is Edith, you can't change it" he told me and turned around, walking away.

I spent the rest of the day silent, talking to nobody. I was sitting in a chair, watching people talking with each other, most of whom were crying. Just when it started getting dark, I called all the workers to talk to them.
"We are all really sad about old Billy, but we can't stop working on the house. You'll take the day off tomorrow but I want you back the other day. Are we clear?" I asked them with a loud voice. "Yes miss" they all said together. "You can go now, spend your day with your family and loved ones. Cherish every minute you spend with them. What we learnt today is that life is short. You can never know what will happen next. Live in the present, not the future" I said and with a move of my hand, I showed them they road that led to the town. The men started leaving, walking silently and slowly. "Come on, let's get back to the house" Alan came next to me and said. I nodded and turned to see the place where old Billy was buried. 'You will never be forgotten' was written on a wooden sign. I took a deap breath and with Alan and Thalia, I got back in the house again.