~Emma 77~
'It's not hard to imagine the pain Anna and Emma must have felt...'
Emma was sitting on the front pew of the icy Chapple in which her love was being buried. The small bouquet of winter flowers laid on Danny's coffin was hardily expressing the amount of spring blossom that she felt he deserved.
'... and I know he would be very proud of her for that...'
Emma could hardly focus on the service so much were her thoughts on her dead one. Slowly, she looked over at Anna who was softly sobbing into a black handkerchief which she quickly recognised to be Danny's.
'... how many people have turned up to bid him one last farewell...'
Danny had lived a good life, Emma was thinking to herself, 79 isn't that bad an age to die at. Many have died younger but then many had also died much older than he.
'... a sad but fond farewell to Danny...'
The coffin looked look lonely on the floor by itself. This whole funeral was so not what Danny would have wanted but then Anna was short of money now with her 3 demanding children. Emma would have given her a bit of extra money, but the pension money was currently quite tight and Anna never did accept charity.
'...Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever.
Amen...'
And it was the end of that funeral service. The whole congregation slowly raised from their seats and solemnly headed for the small chapel doors. Throughout the rest of the day, she received many forms of sympathy which ranged from the common; 'I'm sorry for your loss' to the less comforting; 'Now you can start moving on with your life'.
Overall, she was glad that she went rather than staying at home and grieving alone. But she was now 77 and going all that way in the snow was become rather hard on her. As she sat down on her armchair she thought of how it was when she had first met Danny all those years ago in XXXX.
