Behind the Screen (a Tom Hiddleston Story)

23. Funerals And Flying

Sun cream. Something that always needs topping up otherwise it wears off or gets taken away with friction; leaving a human susceptible to burns. These burns can lead to pain and in the worst case scenario, death. I'm not saying wearing sun cream isn't a good thing because it is. But it only really prevents horrors of potential future events from unfolding, not from the here and now.

Life passes us by without us really noticing. Every hour. Every minute, spent either actually living or just sat with a cup of tea and a biscuit always telling ourselves we're going to go for that job, book that holiday, plan that trip of a lifetime or get that thing we've always wanted tomorrow ignoring today and before we know it; tomorrow is today and time was wasted.

Kate had never actually felt like she was wasting time; getting her new job of a lifetime and having the best boyfriend and family she could ever ask for. And she had always had things to keep her on her toes, things to bring her down and make her smile. But the real troubles in someone's life, are the things that never cross their worried mind.

Kate always took care of everything she did, always one step ahead of herself. But no matter how much 'Sun cream' she put on herself, she was never protected from everything.

Two weeks, three days, nine hours and six minutes had passed since her Dad died and with each daytime had helped to heal the family's pain. They were all still grieving though. Chris and Jane were still more than happy to go along with the wedding despite his dad's absence, as he knew it was what he would have wanted. Even when he was sick at Kate's fifth birthday party he still made them carry on without him. He said he would always be there, whether it be in body or mind.

She sat on a plastic school chair in her mother's lounge surrounded by people wearing charcoal black suits and matching ties. Tom stood behind her, his hand on her shoulder. He wore a slightly different colour as Kate had already told him that her Dad wouldn't have wanted a depressing all-black funeral. It just wasn't him. Chris came in a blue suit with a captain America tie. Tom's also blue suit with a Loki tie. They looked like a right pair standing side by side with their girlfriends and fiancés by their sides.

"You alright?" Tom whispered as a few more of her dad's farmer friends came walking their gloomy funeral walk into the lounge. There were only a few people meeting at the house but Kate already felt trapped.

"Yeah." she nodded taking his hand in hers but keeping his palm as close to her shoulder as possible. He applied a little pressure as he gently squeezed her arm in order to comfort her, knowing that she was far from alright as you can possibly get.

Her mum had taken her spot, standing in the middle of the doorway to the living room, arms clutching her sides as she crossed them tight to her chest. "It's time. Are we ready?" Her eyes were glazed over, like something from a waxwork museum. She always did have a stiff upper lip when thing got tough and her kids were upset.

"Of course we're not. Awful day. Hateful." Jimmy, one of her father's closest friends sat perched on the edge of the sofa which Kate had once spent on what felt like her deathbed. The way she felt now? It may as well have been.

They arrived at the village church and the ceremony commenced with Tom, Chris and most of their family's male relatives carrying their beloved Father, Uncle, Brother, and Son down the aisle for the last time. Everything ran smoothly from then on and with the occasional hug and comforting wish from random friends and unknown family members, the day was over in a flash.

Tom had stayed by her side throughout the whole day making sure she had plenty to eat and drink and a shoulder to cry on when Jimmy's farewell speech was too much to handle.