A Better Sky Somewhere

Twenty-Nine Schools✔

"Si la mer se déchaîne, si le vent souffle fort, si la vague t'entraîne, n'aie pas peur de la mort."

Old Christian Hymn

Norabel

※One week later※

The voices of the choir echo throughout the church and everyone stands up as the pallbearers are bringing out Henry's coffin. His funeral service is coming to an end. It was held at the Baptist church that Henry's mother is a member of, on a Saturday morning with a clear blue sky.

It's almost criminal that the weather has chosen to be the most beautiful it could be on a day when the heavens are supposed to be wailing at the loss of such a pure soul.

The church is packed and I recognized a lot of students from uni but there is also a sea of unknown faces. I wonder if some of those people came to show their support in response to the march that we held last week.

My mother stands on my left in a solemn silence and Keisha on my right grips my hand tightly as silent tears stream down her face.

Henry's immediate family is walking behind the pallbearers. My heart breaks in a thousand pieces at the sight of the distraught expression of Valérie Casimir who's being held by a man I assume to be Henry's father. Their mutual grief is a dark cloud hanging above their silhouettes. The seven-year-old sister is holding her mother's hand. She's wearing a black dress with a bow tied in front. Her childish face is devoid of emotion. Her eyes are vacant as if she doesn't quite grasp the idea that her brother is gone.

In a split second, little Mindy breaks out of her mother's grip to run after the coffin. Her small hands grab the golden handles of the casket. A heart-wrenching scream rises from her throat, exploding throughout the church.

"Daddy!!!"

Mindy's agony shatters at once the somber atmosphere that reigned inside and many people are now openly sobbing.

A knife twists inside my guts when I suddenly remember that Henry told me about how Mindy used to call him Dad.

She continues to scream at the top of her lungs as Valérie succumbs to the unbearable weight of her pain. She falls to her knees as she wails with the devastating rage of a mother who has lost her raison d'être. The father also kneels to circle her between his arms. Together they mourn the loss of their beloved son.

A family member picks up Mindy who trashes vehemently as she keeps on yelling as the coffin is being taken away.

I divert my attention from this heartbreaking scene as my sadness threatens to engulf me like merciless waves during a thunderstorm. Keisha and I keep holding on to each other's hand as she sobs in a handkerchief and I close my eyes.

Maybe if I concentrate hard enough this gnawing wound inside my chest will finally stop hurting.

The choir continues to sing "N'aie pas peur de la mort," and I'm wondering how are we supposed to not be afraid of death when every day might be our last one.