A Friend for a Funeral

4. Caroline's Funeral

     Adam had woken up very early that morning, somewhere around seven in the morning. He still wasn't used to the time difference so he was a little tired as he stepped into the shower. Feeling the hot water pound on his head and back for about twenty minutes seemed to do the trick as he felt refreshed and ready to take on the day. He had pre-ordered his breakfast and it arrived at seven forty five as he had requested. Before eating the simple dish, Adam made sure his clothes were laid out and ready to go after he cleaned up and brushed his teeth. Adam's Dad didn't have to lecture him about representing the company but that never stopped the old man from lecturing him the night before. He took great pleasure raiding the mini bar while the old man tried to give his pre-funeral pep talk. He didn't say anything about his former fiance and given what he was about to do, Adam was relieved his Dad didn't bring her up.  He imagined where she could be right now, whose couch she was crashing on. Considering what a fine suite he was in at the moment, Adam couldn't help but laugh at the situation. He still had a funeral to attend, something he had studied up on while his Dad was yapping at him.

     They had certain traditions in France and Adam took the time to look them up so that he wouldn't do anything that would give his father a reason to strip him a new one. It took him less than a half hour to finish his breakfast and get ready to go. As he was walking down the hall, Adam had hoped that he would run into Fiona but it never happened. She was probably either still asleep or doing the business she was in town to do. Rather than mope about it, Adam took the lift to the lobby and had the man at the desk call a taxi for him. His father had given him all the information he had needed. The address, what he should wear and even what he should say if approached by the new owners of their client. Adam took notes in case he got stuck and needed a little help but was confident he would be all right. While he was waiting outside the lobby for his taxi, Adam couldn't help but notice an amazing array of flowers growing in the garden next to the main doors. They were a beautiful purple flowers growing out of the ground and since his taxi was already on the way to pick him up, Adam made a bold move as he plucked two out of the grounds and made them presentable. It took the taxi less than ten minutes to drive him to the requested location but things looked strange when they arrived. The cab had taken Adam to what looked more like a residential area. A neighborhood that had fancy homes and no sign of where they would host a funeral, which made Adam feel rather uncomfortable.

     "What's wrong?" the driver asked. "This is the address you gave me."

     "Well, I'm here for a funeral." Adam explained, "But this doesn't seem right."

     "It likely is." The driver replied, "In this country, it is French custom for the deceased to 'lie in state' at their place of residence so that it's friends and family do not have to travel far to pay their respects. The surroundings of home also make people feel more comfortable than being in a place they've never been inside before."

     "I had no idea," Adam said as he paid the driver, "Thank you very much."

     "Your change?" the driver offered.

     "Keep it," Adam replied, "Thanks for your help."

     "Au revior." The driver said before speeding off for his next client.

     Adam walked up the long driveway and then followed another crowd that had just arrived to not stand out. Once he was inside the large house, he was reminded again how popular and very wealthy the deceased was. She was a retired actress but didn't need to work because her husband was one of the biggest business men in Europe. It was rumored that the hotel chain was started just to give the lady of the house something to do and then it turned out to be a very lucrative endeavor as well. Adam grabbed a glass of water, relaxed and strolled around the first floor, looking around for the location of the ceremony. It was then when Adam found the large living room that had been converted to host the wake. There were seats everywhere for people sit down, likely for a ceremony later on. There was also food, coffee or tea and even some wine for those who needed something stronger. For now, Adam had chosen to take some water and a few small bite sized pieces of food while waiting for the line to die down a bit as there were a long of people waiting to pay their respects. Adam could also see four people standing up near the casket, which he knew was likely the family saying hello to those in line as they passed through to pay their respects. The new owners, the very people his Dad wanted to make sure Adam didn't embarrass himself with or it would cost their fragile company one of their biggest clients. Eventually Adam got into line when his nerves settled down and it only took about ten minutes for him to reach the family waiting. Adam walked up and offered his hand while holding the two purple flowers in the other.