Page 79 of A Secret Cornish Wish
I reach out my hand again, and this time Mandy takes it.
I pull her to her feet and then we give each other the biggest of hugs.
‘Thank you,’ Mandy whispers into my hair. ‘I’m really gonna need you guys tomorrow.’
‘We’ll be there,’ I repeat, thinking of Claire again. ‘All of us – together.’
Twenty
The last time we were all here together was for Claire’s wedding, I think sadly as we wait in the church for the funeral procession to arrive.
At the time that had seemed such a happy day, but, now, after last night, those memories seem a little tarnished.
I glance over at Claire, but she doesn’t return my gaze. Instead, she stares straight ahead, listening intently to the sombre organ music that is wafting through the church.
Good to his word, Mack had called for me at my parents’ house this morning, looking incredibly dapper in a smart black suit and shiny black shoes, and then we walked down through the town together to collect Claire. Contrary to my expectations, it went a lot more smoothly than I expected after the events of the previous evening.
Claire was polite as we all walked down to the church together, but quiet, even for her. I glanced with concern at Mack a couple of times after I tried to engage Claire in conversation and she answered my prompts with one-word answers. But he simply gave a small shake of his head – as if to say, ‘Don’t worry. Now’s not the time.’ And I felt immediately comforted by this small gesture. Mack being involved in this somehow managed to make me feel like everything was going to be all right.
I turn to my left and look across at him further along our pew, sitting next to Rob. He’s reading the order of service, but he looks up at me and smiles. I smile back, at the same time as Rob looks up. He sees me smiling and mirrors my gesture, assuming I’m smiling at him.
Suzy, sitting in between us, notices our exchanges and smiles knowingly to herself.
Great!I face forward again. Now everyone is getting the wrong idea.
I glance at Eddie on my right to see if he has noticed any of this, but he’s still sitting staring ahead, a bit like Claire, only he looks more upset.
‘Are you OK?’ I ask him.
Eddie turns his head. ‘Yeah, I’m fine. I don’t really like funerals.’
‘I don’t think anyonelikesfunerals,’ I whisper. ‘It’s just one of those events you have to endure in life.’
‘I mean, I don’t like the whole dead-body thing. What do you think happens when we die?’
‘I . . . I don’t really know,’ I say, surprised by his question. ‘I’d like to think there’s an afterlife of some sort. What about you?’
Eddie shrugs. ‘That’s the thing, I don’t know. I’m in awe of these people that have faith. It must be very comforting at a time like this.’
‘Yes, I suppose it must.’
The organist suddenly changes the music as the vicar appears at the doors of the church and begins to lead the procession down the aisle.
I’ve been lucky enough in my life that I’ve only had to attend a few funerals, so the sight of the coffin entering the church as we all stand is one I’m quite used to seeing. But witnessing two coffins following each other into the church, for some reason hits me harder than usual, and I have to stifle a gasp.
Eddie glances at me as the procession begins to pass us. ‘You all right?’ he mouths.
I nod, and then I see Mandy and her parents following behind the first of the two coffins, and I have to stifle another gasp, this time by putting my hand over my mouth.
Mandy looks paler than I’ve ever seen her before as she walks arm in arm between her mum and dad. The grief, anguish and torment etched on all their faces twists my heart so tightly that I can hardly bear to witness their pain, and I just want to hug all of them and tell them it’s going to be all right.
Mandy looks across at us all lined up, and her red-rimmed eyes rest upon me.
Without thinking I blow her a kiss. I don’t stop to think whether it’s the most appropriate thing to do at a funeral, only that I want her know we’re here with her, supporting her all the way.
She nods gratefully as she continues along the aisle.
Mandy and her parents are closely followed by the next coffin. Behind that walk two more grief-stricken parents arm in arm, as they attempt to support each other through the hardest thing they’ll ever have to do – bury their own child.
