Forever Yours

Chapter 37

Preparations were made for Nathan's funeral service. It was held in a church. The whole atmosphere was gloomy and in a mourning mood as everyone was dressed in black. It was hard to believe that Nathan was dead.

Family and friends went to the pulpit one after another to recount their experiences with Nathan when he was alive.

Rebecca and Michelle broke down in tears while giving their speech. It's still impossible for them to come to terms with the fact that they will never see Nathan again.

After the funeral service, his body was taken to the cemetery to be buried.

Michelle watched as the coffin was slowly lowered six feet under. She was numb, she couldn't move or do anything else. She recalled how Nathan was fond of her during the time of their friendship, how he always made her flush with his compliments. He was always there for her when she needed a shoulder to cry on. He was always concerned about how she felt and always wanted to make her happy

She remembered how sweet he was when they started dating. He loved PDAs as well as cuddles. The night he had proposed to her was one of the best nights she had spent with him.

He was a loving father to Sandra even before she was born. He was always worried about the kind of things she would like and the kind of toys she would like to play with. He was willing to give her a perfect life when she grew up.

The night they fought was one Michelle would never forget. She cursed herself every day for letting her anger get the best of her. They would've still been happy and Nathan would be alive.

She remembered the night she had broken up with him. How she didn't want to listen to him no matter how hard he begged her to. She felt even more guilty.

It was all her fault, only hers. She would never stop blaming herself for his death.

Her legs were slowly giving out as she suddenly felt weak. She went down on her knees and buried her face in her hands, breaking down in tears. Leah stood beside her daughter with a crying Sandra in her arms. She comforted Michelle as she cried.

Derek couldn't bear to see Michelle and his little niece this hurt. Sandra was still a baby but she could feel that something sad was happening. He was holding in his tears, he shouldn't cry. Nathan wouldn't be happy if he did because he always believed that someone needed to be strong for the family and that was up to him now.

Mr Howard was holding his crying wife, Rebecca.

Derek walked towards Michelle and lifted her off the ground. He took his niece from Leah's arms and walked them to the car, so they could both calm down. He hated seeing his little niece in tears, so he cradled her until she stopped crying.

Michelle was seated in the car, silently crying as she stared into nothing. Her expression was blank.

The crowd reduced in number after the body was buried.

Derek noticed his parents and Leah coming to meet them.

After saying goodbye to Leah, Mr and Mrs Howard left. Derek drove Michelle and her mom home.

 Michelle moved back to her and Nathan's house. Leah wasn't happy about it because she knew her daughter was hurting herself more by moving back there.

Michelle was constantly having memories of the moments she had with Nathan. She couldn't stop thinking about him. She could only sleep at night if she held his shirt close to her, inhaling his scent. She had visited his graveside to drop flowers on many occasions.

Derek has also been of great help to her. He visited her almost every day to check on her and his niece. He wanted to be there for his niece since Nathan was no more. He knew how much Sandra needed a male figure in her life, he was willing to be that father figure to her. He sometimes took Sandra to his parents, they also visited on several occasions to check on her and Michelle.