Everyone in the room was in a state of mourning and despair.
Flowers are everywhere but it was a sign of loss.
Nobody expected the person they were in love with to be fully taken away from them.
“Mom, please don’t leave us! I can’t!” a girl was crying hysterically and uncontrollably to her mother’s casket.
While she was comforted by her sister, Stacy.
“Ssshh, don’t cry. Mom can rest now after all the pain.”
All of the anguish in her heart was extremely difficult for her to bear. It was fraught with anxiety and trepidation.
After all, she needs to be courageous and demonstrate to her siblings that they, too, can overcome the pain and be brave.
Looking at her father were totally helped her decide to stand up and dream for their future despite of the pain of losing a mother.
As an eldest child, all responsibilities were already passed to her at the moment were her mother passed away.
She has to replace her mother’s position from providing and lifting up their family.
Taking care of her siblings, their studies and her father who was ill and lame.
Thinking of everything she has to go through was such a hard responsibility for her. Fear that she may fail were sneaking inside her.
She tried her hardest to keep her emotions under control so that not a single tear fell from her eyes. She wanted her mother to leave confidently since she knew her mother had already done her part.
While she was staring at her mother, her uncle, the brother of her mother came and went close to her.
“Stacy.”
He looked at her and looked at his side where Stacy’s father seated and stared madly at Andy, the husband of her sister.
She saw the rage in the eyes of her uncle Joe from the inside as he was always been to his brother-in-law.
“Yes, Uncle Joe.”
“How’s everything? Your mother, Louisa died but it didn’t end up there. Are you aware of the bills you have to pay after the funeral service? Do you know now where to find a money for the payment to all of this?”
Her uncle said with a solid voice on a low tone. Trying to control not to be heard by anyone inside the place.
“I already thought of it and I am finding a way.” Stacy sighed.
“Look at your father! He was useless as before. It was his fault and the only reason why your mother died.” His uncle said directly and was obviously heard by Andy because of the short distance
“Stop, Uncle Joe, please! This was not the time and place for that. Have respect to mom.”
Stacy said and was devastated with the attitude of her uncle toward her dad.
Her father in a wheelchair left and went outside after he heard it.
Joe smirked while Stacy shook her head and exhaled deeply.
“That’s the truth, Stacy. He must be aware of it. Now, who’s in charge in finding the money? You?” Her uncle Joe told her frankly.
“Until when are you going to tolerate a father who was the only thing to do is to sit on his wheelchair.
“Stop, Uncle Joe! It doesn’t matter. Just wait, and I will show you Uncle Joe that we can provide a payment for this.” Stacy said then walk away from his uncle.
She started to build up an anger from people who overlook her father.
After all the patience she had and respect she had given, time came when she has to stop belittling her father.
Joe held her arms and said, “I know you can, but let your stupid father do it then show us if he can.”
Stacy removed the hands of her uncle, looked sharply at him then went outside to her father.
The darkness outside matches their situation. It was too much silence with cold wind.
No stars shown in the sky while the moon was small as if he can hide.
She stood beside her father, looked at him and decided to sit down on the ground while embracing her knees.
“Your uncle Joe is right. Don’t get mad at him. It was really my fault and no one should be blame aside from me. Your mother carried everything when I started to became like this. My responsibilities became her responsibilities.” Andy’s eyes began to produce a tears and fell down through his cheeks.
“I am useless. I am fucking dumb useless man.”
“Don’t say that! That’s not true!” Stacy contradicted her father’s statement.
“That’s the truth! It was clear as water, it cannot deny, that is the real me.” He said to Stacy.
“Everyone witnessed how useless I am in our family. I am the father but all I can do is to sit in this stupid wheel chair throughout the day. All the stress were given to your mother that was supposed to be me who must deal with it. No doubt, it was the only reason of her heart attack. The heaviness, the burdens that she shouldered was actually the cause of it and if I just did my part, she was still with us.” Andy said.
“Stop, dad. Don’t say that.” Stacy replied.
“You have to hear the truth, Stacy. Now, who’s going to be in charge in me? You? I can’t take it any longer. Kill me now.” Andy said. “The guilt were choking me in everyday of my life, seeing your mother sacrificing for me and our family. I am the one who deserve the coffin and not your mother.
I am the burden and the curse of the family.” Andy said.
“Dad, dad… listen to me. You have to live, for us. Let me do everything for you and my siblings just don’t leave us. Please have a courage. I can’t do this on my own. I can’t find any reason to move forward if you too will choose to surrender. Don’t look at anyone or hear their opinions that was the useless thing that you will absorb in your mind. What matters now is us. I am sure that it is what mom wants since before. The reason behind she did everything for our family.” She said.
Her father, Andy, burst out into tears. Stacy stood up from sitting and hug her father. “I am so sorry, Stacy. I am really sorry. I just can’t accept the reality that your mother left us. There’s no one to blame with that. It was only I.”
“If I just listened to your mother not to go out because I was drunk that moment, I won’t be like this. I will not be involved in an accident.”
“I regretted it my whole life but it already happened and I cannot change the past anymore.” Andy said.
“It was done and no one blames you. We are more than happy when we knew that you survived and you are healed and with us right now. I will never forget how mom reacted when you are in accident. Her whole world looks gone She did everything just to be with you again.”
“Dad, I love you and mom loves you too. I promised her that I will take care of you and my siblings. Please fight and live for us.” Stacy said to her father.
Stacy wiped her father’s tears using her white handkerchief from her pocket.
“Stop crying, dad. Don’t worry about me. It is my honor to serve you and my siblings. I promise you that it wasn’t against my will, I would love to do it. We will have a better future.” Stacy said. “Let’s go inside and sit beside mom.”
Andy nodded and Stacy assisted and helped her to get inside.
Andy went to her wife and wept out silently, "I'm so sorry, Louisa. I'm so sorry. This is not what I had envisioned for our family's future. I've fallen far short of what I've promised you. I'm sorry for being such a jerk, but I wanted you to know that I was extremely glad to have you as a partner in my life. Thank you for what and everything you have done. It is solely for this reason that I will look after our son and daughters for the time being. I will make a vow to you that I will look after them as long as I am here. I love you so much."
