Under the surface

9.

Aurelia stepped off the plane onto familiar Brazilian soil, but the weight of her heart made everything feel foreign. The air, thick with humidity, offered no relief from the heaviness she carried. She had returned not as the triumphant racer who graced podiums but as a grieving daughter, torn between the world of speed and the harsh reality of her loss.

Her journey from the airport to her family's estate was a blur of apologies and sympathetic glances. The familiar sights of Rio de Janeiro seemed to move past her like fleeting memories. The hum of the city was overshadowed by the silent sorrow that clung to her.

The funeral preparations were already underway when she arrived at the grand estate that echoed with the stories of her family's legacy. The mansion, usually filled with laughter and the echoes of racing tales, now stood hushed and silent. Aurelia's mother, elegant and barely holding it together, greeted her with a tearful embrace, and together they entered the house of mourning.

The funeral began, with friends, family, and racing colleagues all gathered to pay their respects. The air inside the mansion was thick with grief as Aurelia stood by her father's casket, surrounded by wreaths of flowers that seemed to wither in comparison to the vibrant soul they memorialized.

The room echoed with hushed conversations and occasional sobs as people shared stories of the man who had been larger than life, a mentor to many, and a loving father. Aurelia listened, her eyes fixed on the polished wooden casket, each word cutting through her like a blade.

Aurelia found herself alone in the garden that once echoed with her father's laughter. The weight of her grief threatened to crush her, and she sank onto a bench, her tears finally flowing freely. She felt the absence of his presence like a chasm, the void widening with every memory that played in her mind. The final farewell took place at a serene cemetery overlooking the ocean, where her father's racing trophies gleamed alongside the flowers adorning his final resting place.

The trophies painted a vivid picture of a man who lived life in the fast lane but also knew how to savor the quiet moments. As the last words were spoken, the casket was lowered into the ground, and Aurelia's heart sank with it.

The air was heavy with grief as the first clumps of dirt hit the casket, a sound that echoed through Aurelia's soul like a final goodbye. Friends and family placed flowers on the mound, their silence a collective acknowledgment of their tragic loss.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting shadows on the mourners, Aurelia stood alone at her father's grave. The weight of the moment pressed down on her shoulders, and she whispered her own farewell to the man who had ignited her passion for racing and life itself.

In the silence that followed, the only sound was the wind rustling through the trees, carrying with it the echoes of a life well-lived but tragically cut short.