Chapter Twenty-Nine
"Are you sure you're up for tomorrow?" Liam asked his daughter.
The funeral of Maya was tomorrow, yesterday was the final preparation. Leanna just gave a firm nod. She was going to use the funeral as the final chapter of this sorry saga, this was the end. Maya's name never needs to be mentioned again after the funeral, so in her own way; she was ready.
"Yes...I'm ready for it" Leanna assured him.
"Good, Henrietta rang me and told me that it will be an open casket funeral, so please...don't make any sick jokes, Jacob will be there"
"You really think I would do that?"
"I don't know anymore Leanna...everything is so messed up"
"Because of her! Look, I will be on my best behavior and not all my memories of her are bad...I quite enjoyed the time where I tipped water on her head in the classroom back when I was like 12"
"That was you?"
"The one and only"
"Well it's a little too late to tell you off I suppose...listen, tomorrow will be tough for everyone there and I know you never got on with her but she was still your step-mum for years, I don't want you to feel like you have to pretend you're okay"
"I am okay...it's Jacob who's not"
"You're not wrong there, okay Leanna; I will take your word for it"
"Good"
...
"I've been banned from the funeral by Jacob...according to Alicia, the only other person allowed to come with him is her" Leyla informed Tracy.
This was no big surprise really however a part of Leyla did want to go. Sickening as it was to think about it, the truth was that Leyla's grandchild was being buried as well. Despite her not wanting to face that, in a way; she would have liked to have gone for that and that alone. Jacob though has banned her.
"David won't be going either then?" Tracy asked.
"No...Jacob doesn't want any of us there; he thinks it's our fault that she's dead" Leyla commented with a sad sigh.
"Thank God for Alicia"
"Jacob is going to be surrounded by total strangers in there...I don't know her dad or anybody else going, Liam and Leanna will be there though so I heard"
"It's good Leanna's going...she's the same age as Jacob"
"Yeah I agree, I'm glad Leanna is going in all; if any teenager can help Jacob through the funeral without crying, it's her"
"Talking of Maya's dad though...he came in the shop a couple days back, all shouty and whatnot...a disgusting man, he tried to blame us for what his daughter did but we told him what's what"
"You didn't think to tell me until now? Why?"
"Well me and David thought you had enough on your plate with Maya's mum"
"I don't care, anything new comes up and you tell me; right?"
"Right...yeah"
...
Henrietta had made her way down her local street, she was planning to meet Rodney once again in a local cafe. When she was stopped by someone who recognized who she was, some small man in a tracksuit. He lived down the street from her, he knew Maya from when she was a young girl; he grew up alongside her. Therefore he knew the mother too and he would let her know it.
"I heard your daughter was a dirty pedo" he hissed.
Making her turn towards him slightly. He was the first person to confront her directly to her face, everyone else just gossiped behind her back. Henrietta tried to stand her ground as she looked him in the eye.
"You lot always thought you were better then us with your fancy jobs...when all this time, your daughter was on the sex offender's register! No wonder you got no husband left, I bet you covered up for her with your smart little court job!" he continued.
"I don't have to listen to this" Henrietta spoke in a shaky voice.
"You do...I'm just grateful my boy didn't go to your daughter's school, what sick woman feels up little boys anyway? I heard she killed herself too because she was pregnant with that boy's baby, to think he's living with you...what a sick joke that is, I bet you're like her!"
"That's not fair...I'm taking him in because I want to help him"
"Yeah, right...nobody buys that, my son knows somebody from that lad's school and he said that this Jacob kid had a right go at one of the students, punched him one he did...you and your family make me sick!"
"At least my family sticks together...your son lives with his mum next door to me, not with you and he hasn't done since the day he was born, you see...I can gossip too"
"Better then being the parent of a pedo innit?!"
Henrietta shook her head as she went to leave. Though the man just ended up pushing her down upon the floor. Due to her age, this was enough to make her very much in pain. He gave her one kick before rushing off.
"Hey!" someone called however he was out of sight.
Another man tried to help Henrietta up however she flinched. Feeling the side of her head, refusing any assistance. She pulled herself up and walked towards an empty bench, feeling her head still. Due to her having a rather nasty fall and a kick to the side on top of that, her face was slightly bruised.
"Are you okay?" an older woman asked her.
"Yes...just all leave me alone; please!" Henrietta snapped.
...
Being rather late for their lunch date, Henrietta made her way into the cafe. Rodney noticed the bruises on her face instantly. Not to mention her skirt was slightly ripped from the way she fell. He looked shocked that somebody could do this in broad daylight, it wasn't Henrietta's fault what Maya did.
"Oh my god...you poor thing, who did this?" Rodney asked with concern. Helping her to one of the tables.
"Just some man"
"A man?! What sort of coward attacks a woman like that? Where is he now?"
"He ran away"
"Well you have to phone the police for assault...you can't let him get away with it, was he trying to mug you?"
"No! It was because of Maya, okay? I don't want the police involved"
"Henrietta, you don't deserve to be punished for what she did"
Though she felt very much that she did. She felt because of the mistakes she made as a mother, it was her fault. Of cause it wasn't but that's just what she thought, her ex-husband got it into her head. John would always insist that she messed up their little girl's mind because she let Ethan get away with it. He couldn't handle the truth that nothing could have prevented Maya turning out that way.
"It's fine honestly" Henrietta kept insisting.
Rodney shook his head, she just took it on the chin like it was totally normal. He placed one arm around her.
"You don't deserve to get hurt" Rodney tried to tell her.
"Doesn't matter in the long run though does it? I'm fine Rodney, just don't mention this to anybody, the focus has to be on helping Jacob"
"You need to help yourself too"
"Good job that I'm fine then" Henrietta spoke with a nervous false laugh.
"I know you're not, you can't be...I won't keep going at it though, let me get you a cup of tea; okay?"
She just nodded.
...
TBC
