A/N: So sorry! I suckkk so bad at updating my stories but here is the next chapter finally! Hope you like it and sorry it's short I just couldn't think of what to write after that last paragraph.
Lois and Karen sat like that for at least 10 minutes. As each minute passed the loneliness and emptiness became more real, and hurt that much more. For Lois as the minutes went by it left her feeling unsettled and afraid for the future. She knew that she wouldn't be able to afford the house and all the luxuries that came with it, and she wasn't ready to let all of that go just yet. Which is when she got the sinister idea of conning old men out of their money to keep her afloat and to be able to afford all the luxuries she lusted after.
Karen left to go to the bathroom and when she returned her mother's things where on the couch but she was nowhere to be found. So Karen just patiently waited by their stuff until 5 minutes later when Lois walked out of someone's room. Karen didn't think much of it at the time. "Ready to go home?" Lois asked looking at her daughter. Karen just nodded and started walking to the main entrance.
When Lois and Karen returned home they both could tell things were about to change, and not necessarily for the better. Without talking to her mom at all, Karen went into her bedroom and shut the door. She laid on her bed hugging Mabel and crying her eyes out. Big, silent tears were falling down her face into Mabel's human-like hair.
For the next hour Karen wept thinking about all the good times with her father. Knowing she wouldn't have anymore hurt her more than any other memory. She thought about all the big things to come in her life. When she graduated from high school she would look up in the stands and not see him sitting there cheering her on. At her wedding he wouldn't be there to walk her down the aisle to give her away to her husband. If she ever had children, he wouldn't be the wonderful grandfather she knew he would've been.
Just recalling her last thoughts Karen realized she had developed into someone very different then who she was just twenty-four hours ago. This Karen was much more darker, deep, and sad but she knew she would put on a brave face in front of anyone she met. Meanwhile in the other room, Lois was on the phone talking to her mother about moving in there until Lois could get them back on their feet. After Lois hung up she knocked on Karen's door and entered to tell her the news.
"What?!" A tear-stained Karen asked startled. She looked down at Mabel and hugged her tighter, not ready to let go. "I'm sorry sweetie, we have to sell our stuff. It just won't fit at Grandma's."
After they settled in with Karen's grandmother Lois would often disappear for a couple of hours not telling anyone where she was going, leaving Karen to play with the old Barbie dolls her grandmother had.
A week passed while they were at Karen's grandmother's house. Everyday was relatively the same, Lois would leave and not return for the next few hours, Grandma would make Karen lunch and talk with her as to not make her feel lonely. One day when Lois returned from wherever she was, Karen was in her room when she heard her grandma start yelling at Lois. She heard snippets of the argument like, "She is YOUR child Lois take care of her! Whatever you're doing now isn't half as important as being the mother to your child who just lost her father!" Then Lois yelled back, "Mother I've lost someone too! The only man I've ever loved is gone! And it's taken me a bit to get back on track for a normal life!" Their voices fell to a drone where Karen couldn't hear anything for a while. Soon, Lois' voice rang out "Mom, if you just wait for a couple more weeks I promise you everything will get back to normal." Her grandma said something and it seemed the argument had stopped for now.
The next day they had the funeral at a local funeral home. Karen dressed in a black velvet dress and little black dress up shoes. Her hair was pulled back into a half-ponytail. Karen's grandmother took her to the funeral home because Lois was missing once again. They sat in the foyer of the place while the rest of the family arrived, scared of going into the room where his open casket was. Afraid of what will happen when they see him.
They all decided to go as a group into the room, without Lois. A few family members burst into tears right when they walked into the room. The room was cold, the feeling of death lingered in the air. Karen grabbed hold of her grandma's hand as they walked a small procession to the casket.
They were the first one's to reach it. Karen wasn't tall enough so she stood on her tiptoes and peered into the casket. As she looked at her father lying there tears formed into her eyes. It wasn't him. It wasn't the man who would greet her after school or be the first to sing happy birthday to her on her birthdays. The laugh lines were there on his face but there wasn't the laughter. All that was left was a solemn, "peaceful" look.
Karen turned away, she didn't want her last memory of her father to be seeing him laying there lifeless. She walked across the room and sat in a row that was near the back. Karen watched every sobbing person who passed her to realize her father would truly be missed. Her hazel eyes welled up with sadness again but quickly turned to anger as she realized her mother wasn't even here to witness everything. Every relative, friend, and neighbor who passed Karen said they were sorry. She found herself not knowing what to say anymore to them. "It's Okay," and "Thank You," didn't seem sufficient enough, eventually she just nodded in their direction.
I'm hoping to update faster this time. But I can't guarantee it'll be up within the week. Please review!!
