To Keep Her Safe is All I Know

Chapter 14

The day of John's funeral was a tough one for Melanie and Sade. If Melanie had a choice, she wouldn't have gone, but Sadie deserved to say a proper 'goodbye' to her father and Melanie knew she had to be there for her. Right of the bat that morning Sadie was crying and frustrated, not sure if she wanted to go to the funeral as a boy for a girl. As a compromise, Melanie convinced Sadie to wear a suit to the funeral and burial, and then a dress at the reception. Melanie had purchased both of those things for Sadie in the event that Sadie couldn't decide which gender to be that day. Sadie agreed to this compromise, but that didn't make the day any easier on her.     

Melanie told Chris he didn't have to come, but he insisted on being there for them. Chris arrived at the funeral home earlier than the other guests, knowing Melanie and Sadie would be there early. He spots her and walks up to her with his hands behind his back.

"Hey." He says.

Melanie turns to face Chris, "Hey."

Chris pulls out a bouquet of yellow tulips from behind his back.

Melanie sighs, "Chris, you shouldn't have."

"Well, I may be an enthusiast of the color black, but I figured you might be seeing a lot of it today, so you might need something to brighten your day."

Melanie manages and smile and takes the flowers, "Thank you." She says before hugging him. When they come apart, Melanie's eyes widen.

"Oh! I remember what I wanted to ask you. You know how to tie a tie, right?"

"Yeah."

"Can you go help Sadie? She's downstairs in the lounge."

"Yeah, sure."

"Thanks."

Chris nods and walks off. The funeral home had a small lounge downstairs where small snacks could be set out or where guests could get away from all of the crying and sadness for a little while. 

Chris walks down and finds Sadie downstairs, sitting on the couch with her head down. She wore a black jacket and dress shirt, as well as black slacks and black dress shoes. A blue and black tie hung around her neck, untied. It didn't quite go with the outfit, but her black beanie rest on her head as well, her red curls hiding beneath it.

"Hey." Chris says.

Sadie looks up at Chris, eyes watering.

Chris sighs and kneels down, "C'mere, kiddo."

Sadie hops off the couch and rushes towards Chris without any hesitation, colliding with him and crying. Chris holds her close to him and rubs her back a moment, not saying anything.

Sadie breaks the embrace and sniffles, "W-Will you help me with my tie?"

"Of course."

They walk over to the couch and sit on it.

"You look very handsome today." Chris says.

"Thanks." Sadie whispers, looking down again.

"Now, let's fix this tie. Here, I'll show you how to do it. You look very dashing today and should definitely wear suits more often."

Sadie actually manages a smile and looks up at Chris, "Really?"

"Of course! But a lot of the time, the thing that really sets off a great suit is the tie, so you should definitely know how to tie one. It's not that hard, just watch me."

Melanie walks down a moment later to make sure everything was okay, then finds Chris teaching Sadie how to tie a tie. Sadie actually seemed to be listening very intently and paying close attention to what Chris was telling her.