Taste of Vengeance ✔

Chapter 13

Abigail was surprised when she entered the building where Juice was laid out and found Scarlett close to the door. 

"I thought you would let me down again," she grunted. 

"Of course not, sweetie." She laid a hand against Abigail's cheek and gave her a worried look. "There were a few things I needed to take care of, but I knew Venus would keep you company." She showed the woman a smile. 

Abigail turned her head away from Scarlett. "There were also things I needed to take care of. I could have used your support with that."

It made her furious that even Scarlett had barely shown her face the past days. Maybe her relationship with Happy was over, but she still fitted perfectly among all those guys who ignored her because they all had better things to do. This however wasn't the time and place to give in to her anger, so she squared her shoulders and looked around to find Skeeter. She didn't see the undertaker. 

Maybe it was for the best. Maybe this was her chance to say her goodbyes with no ears listening in. She excused herself to her friends and walked to the adjacent room where she had been too many times the past months. Every time there had been that stinging feeling in her stomach; that fear that Juice would be the next. 

And now he was.

Abigail froze as she entered the serene room. Confused she stared at the closed coffin. Tears stung in her eyes; it felt like this last goodbye, this last chance to see him was also taken from her. She was tempted to lift the lid, but if his body wasn't prepped by an undertaker it would be a horrible sight that she would never be able to forget. 

She heard soft footsteps behind her. Assuming that it was Scarlett or Venus she turned around. A man who couldn't be older than 30 respectfully nodded to her. 

"Who the hell are you?" she blurted out. 

"I'm doing an internship here. Today I'm taking care of the viewing." He laid a hand on her shoulder and eyed her with a surprisingly warm look. His hair was dark and his face pale; he seemed to fit perfectly within an environment like this but his blue eyes weren't as cold as she somehow had expected. "I am sorry for your loss. You must be Abigail."

A little confused so looked at the other. His voice had sounded a little weird when he had said her name and she nodded a little absentminded. 

"I don't get it. Why isn't he laid out?" She stepped away from the man, pretending she wanted to take a closer look at the coffin. In reality however his hand on her shoulder was bothering her. His cold touch reminded her of Scarlett. 

"A closed coffin was the wish of the deceased, according to the report from prison."

The deceased... With a lump in her throat she placed her hand on the coffin, as if searching for the last traces of his warmth. She looked at the picture, to the shining smile he was showing off. 

Tears slipped between her eyelashes. Oh, she missed him so horribly... Her lips started to quiver and she could no longer push away her sadness. She folded her arms at the top of the coffin, burying her face against them. Her shoulders were shaking as the tears rolled down her cheeks. 

And all this time she felt the presence of the undertaker as if he was a burning fire. For a moment it was comforting, then it started to confuse her and she left the room in a hurry. On her way out, she caught a glimpse of his blue eyes. They were filled with tears. 

In the bathroom Abigail found a little peace. Although she knew she would cry a lot more today, she wiped the smudged mascara away and smoothed her black dress. After taking a few deep breaths, she went back inside. The first people trickled in. 

The first who gave her a squeezing hug was Lyla. She cried shamelessly, making her own eyes water again. 

A few weeks ago she had been in Abigail's shoes, when her husband had died, leaving her with his two kids. She knew the woman was going through a rough time, but at least she would see something of Opie in Kenny and Ellie. 

Abigail however was all alone. Juice would become nothing more than a memory.