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It's pretty important to re-read the last two chapters to understand what happened! I apologise for my absence, I have finals in three weeks. That's why 😅
"Condolences on the loss of your grandmother, my dear," Simon said, his voice low and warm despite the roughness that hinted at the tears he'd shed.
He approached his granddaughter, Aliana, who stood beneath a sprawling oak tree in the cemetery, her eyes fixed on the simple yet elegant headstone that marked her grandmother's grave.
A gentle breeze rustled through the leaves, adding a whisper to the solemn silence that surrounded them. The cemetery was beginning to fill with mourners, each bringing flowers, memories, and a shared sense of grief.
Aliana's grip on the bouquet of white lilies tightened as more people arrived. She was amazed by the number of lives her grandmother had touched, the number of people who came to pay their respects to a woman who had given so much love.
Her grandmother had been the heart of the family, a beacon of warmth and kindness, and now she was gone. Aliana blinked away the tears that blurred her vision, trying to keep a brave face for her grandfather.
As Simon stood beside her, Aliana attempted to smile, but it felt forced, the corners of her lips twitching without forming a full smile. "I'm okay, Grandpa. It's you I should be worried about," she replied, her voice steady, though her eyes glistened with unshed tears.
She knew that her grandfather and grandmother had been together for over fifty years, high school sweethearts who had built a life together. Their love was legendary within the family, a beacon of hope and strength.
Simon let out a heavy sigh. "It's never easy, losing someone you love. Uncle Sammy, my brother Fred, and now... losing the love of my life," he said, his voice dropping to a soft whisper as he looked toward the headstone. A small smile crossed his lips, perhaps at a memory that warmed his heart despite the coldness of grief.
"But it's not the end. Your impatient grandmother will still be waiting for me every day at noon, just somewhere upstairs. Colouring the skies." For the first time in a while, the old man had genuinely smiled, and it brought a flicker of warmth to the cold, drizzly day. "Knowing that she'll be waiting for me, that eases the pain at least a little."
