The Periods of Being

Chapter XXIII

Chapter XXIII

     Neil welcomes them all at the door with a smiling face and a tray of tea on the entrance table as they come through the door. Footmen work on getting their luggage from the cars behind them as they enter the manor. The traveling holds a tired Olive in its hold and she walks in with heavy feet and her veil pulled down to cover her wandering thoughts. Throughout the car and train ride, all she can think about was the times she missed with her family. She could've eaten more dinners with them and apologized for her absence before Mark's death. Mr. Haden's words stayed with her during the journey like an unwanted carry-on. They came back to her throughout the train ride with Julie across from her.

     "Is something bothering you?" Julie asked then. When Olive didn't answer back, she expected Julie to thumb through the barriers and find out what was wrong, but she didn't. She allowed Olive to sit with her eyes trained out of the window—just like how she was during the silent car ride.

     She clasps her hands tightly at her front and squeezes them in punishment for her silence. She could've opened up to Julie on the train. It was a perfect time to do so, but instead, she allowed herself to wallow in her thoughts and now she is overly-tired of herself and of the day. She is ready to crawl up to her bedroom— by herself. With Neil here though, she feels as if she needs to ask permission to go up to her bedroom.

     With him as the new owner of the estate, it feels as if she is a visitor here.

     Her hands cup the tea offering and she walks to the middle of the Great Hall to get out of the way while Neil welcomes her family. She takes a sip and the hot liquid burns her tongue into sawdust.

     "My parents should be here any time," she hears Neil mention. She takes another sip of the tea in hopes it'll burn her screaming vocal cords. The last time she saw her in-laws was the day before Mark left for the war. They stayed for dinner and shared embarrassing stories about him she had heard before, but still made her laugh. The time causes a giant hole to burst through her heart. It makes her wonder if that was the last time she truly enjoyed herself.

     "Will they be staying here tonight as well?" Marina asks, grabbing a cup of tea for herself.

     "No, they will be staying in one of the cottages on the estate for the night."

     "They didn't want to stay in the manor?"

     Olive turns her attention to Neil, who has his back to her. She watches as his shoulders slump down and how the bright glow around him dims gray.

     "It was going to be too hard for them to sleep in Mark's estate. They didn't want to be in a room full of pictures and memories of him with the funeral happening tomorrow." His voice cracks at his words while the atmosphere around them cracks in unison, breaking away the reality of why they are standing in the Great Hall in Garthen Manor.

     The china glass in her hands shakes at her tight grip on it. She releases her grip and takes another sip. This time the tea doesn't burn her— or she didn't feel the pain any longer.

     "But, we don't need to think about that." Neil's shoulders perk up and a similar glow that enveloped him moments ago. She stares at him with envy on how he can not think about the enviable. Tomorrow, they will be holding a funeral for their beloved Mark. Nothing can make her not think about that. Will there be an open casket event? Or will it be closed in the front of the church? She hopes for it to be closed, but at the same time, she wishes to see him one last time. Even if it meant he wasn't truly there, just his body.

     His soul is long gone and floating somewhere in the clouds.

     "Mr. Sadder, can you show the guests where they will be staying? Their luggage will be delivered up in the rooms shortly."