Stephanie helped her mother to the bedroom.
"Come on Mom, we'll redo your make up and then go back downstairs, yeah?"
Linda looked at herself in the mirror and shook her head. "What's the point?"
Stephanie sat on the bed. "I know it's hard mom but you've got well over 400 people downstairs who want to talk to you. They all came to pay their last respects to dad and they expect you to play host."
Linda turned round and looked at Stephanie and shook her head. "I can't believe I'm here Steph. I knew your dad had enemies, but who would do something like this?."
"The police are going to catch whoever did this, you have to keep believing in that. He'd be so proud of you, insisting that the shows go ahead and everything, you keeping on the road and keeping working."
"I don't have any other choice, Vince would have kept the show going and rightly so. As for working so much, I'm afraid that if I stop and think I'll break down completely." Linda bit her lip.
"What am I going to do without him? I don't know anything else, he was the first man I ever kissed, ever loved. I don't know what I'm suppposed to do. We knew each other for forty years. Forty years Steph, and married for thirty six. I can't remember, I don't know what my life was like without him in it. What do I do?"
Stephanie looked at her mother, she thought her mother was the strongest woman in the world and now she was realising she was only strong because she had Vince, Linda was a wreak without him and Stephanie didn't know how to help her.
"You've got to be strong mom, we've got to be strong for each other. You know what dad would want? He'd want you to get up and brush yourself down and make the business even more successful than it is. Some day you're going to be with dad again but until that time comes, you'll have to learn to move on. Maybe even meet someone else. Not yet obviously but in a couple of years when you've got over it, who knows what'll happen?"
"It's easy for you Steph, you've had the experience I never had. I started dating your dad when I was fourteen and never went with anyone else. You know what it's like to date other men." Linda pointed to herself. "I don't!"
Stephanie looked hurt by her mother's comment.
Linda took a deep breath, not noticing Stephanie's reaction. "And even if I did, I don't think I could. I don't think I'm ever going to get over this, how do I get over forty years? I don't want to date other men, I want Vince."
Stephanie raised her voice, getting tired of Linda feeling sorry for herself. "We all want him back mom, we all miss him. You're not the only one who's hurting you know. And to answer your question I don't know, I don't know how you get over forty years but if you don't even attempt to try, you are never going to know." Stephanie sighed. "I'm not even asking you to get over forty years, I'm not asking you to forget dad, I would never want that. I guess what I'm trying to say is you have to learn to deal with what's happened and then look back over those forty years with happiness, not get upset that you haven't got it anymore, can you try and understand that?"
"No, no to be quite honest Stephanie I don't understand it. It's only been two weeks, two weeks and you're already asking me to deal with it? It's going to take time before I can deal with someone murdering my husband, ok Steph?" Shouted Linda as she stood up. "I think it'll be a long painful process of years before I'm able to deal with that."
"Mom..." began Stephanie.
"I tell you what Steph, when you've been with someone for over forty years and you suddenly lose them in a such a tragic, unfair and terrible way then you come back to me and tell me how to deal with it! Now get out!!" Yelled Linda.
"I didn't mean..."
"I said get out, I don't want to hear it! And I'll be down there when I'm good and ready!"
Stephanie slowly got up and walked out, closing the door quietly behind her.
Linda sat down on what was Vince's side of the bed and picked up a photo off the nightstand. It was of Vince and Linda a couple of christmases ago. They had just had dinner and were washing up, they were having a play fight with the soap bubbles when Shane had come in and taken the picture. He gave it to them as a gift for the christmas just gone.
Linda smiled and hugged the picture close to her. She slowly put the picture back and went to sit at the dressing table again and began to redo her make-up.
"Come on Mom, we'll redo your make up and then go back downstairs, yeah?"
Linda looked at herself in the mirror and shook her head. "What's the point?"
Stephanie sat on the bed. "I know it's hard mom but you've got well over 400 people downstairs who want to talk to you. They all came to pay their last respects to dad and they expect you to play host."
Linda turned round and looked at Stephanie and shook her head. "I can't believe I'm here Steph. I knew your dad had enemies, but who would do something like this?."
"The police are going to catch whoever did this, you have to keep believing in that. He'd be so proud of you, insisting that the shows go ahead and everything, you keeping on the road and keeping working."
"I don't have any other choice, Vince would have kept the show going and rightly so. As for working so much, I'm afraid that if I stop and think I'll break down completely." Linda bit her lip.
"What am I going to do without him? I don't know anything else, he was the first man I ever kissed, ever loved. I don't know what I'm suppposed to do. We knew each other for forty years. Forty years Steph, and married for thirty six. I can't remember, I don't know what my life was like without him in it. What do I do?"
Stephanie looked at her mother, she thought her mother was the strongest woman in the world and now she was realising she was only strong because she had Vince, Linda was a wreak without him and Stephanie didn't know how to help her.
"You've got to be strong mom, we've got to be strong for each other. You know what dad would want? He'd want you to get up and brush yourself down and make the business even more successful than it is. Some day you're going to be with dad again but until that time comes, you'll have to learn to move on. Maybe even meet someone else. Not yet obviously but in a couple of years when you've got over it, who knows what'll happen?"
"It's easy for you Steph, you've had the experience I never had. I started dating your dad when I was fourteen and never went with anyone else. You know what it's like to date other men." Linda pointed to herself. "I don't!"
Stephanie looked hurt by her mother's comment.
Linda took a deep breath, not noticing Stephanie's reaction. "And even if I did, I don't think I could. I don't think I'm ever going to get over this, how do I get over forty years? I don't want to date other men, I want Vince."
Stephanie raised her voice, getting tired of Linda feeling sorry for herself. "We all want him back mom, we all miss him. You're not the only one who's hurting you know. And to answer your question I don't know, I don't know how you get over forty years but if you don't even attempt to try, you are never going to know." Stephanie sighed. "I'm not even asking you to get over forty years, I'm not asking you to forget dad, I would never want that. I guess what I'm trying to say is you have to learn to deal with what's happened and then look back over those forty years with happiness, not get upset that you haven't got it anymore, can you try and understand that?"
"No, no to be quite honest Stephanie I don't understand it. It's only been two weeks, two weeks and you're already asking me to deal with it? It's going to take time before I can deal with someone murdering my husband, ok Steph?" Shouted Linda as she stood up. "I think it'll be a long painful process of years before I'm able to deal with that."
"Mom..." began Stephanie.
"I tell you what Steph, when you've been with someone for over forty years and you suddenly lose them in a such a tragic, unfair and terrible way then you come back to me and tell me how to deal with it! Now get out!!" Yelled Linda.
"I didn't mean..."
"I said get out, I don't want to hear it! And I'll be down there when I'm good and ready!"
Stephanie slowly got up and walked out, closing the door quietly behind her.
Linda sat down on what was Vince's side of the bed and picked up a photo off the nightstand. It was of Vince and Linda a couple of christmases ago. They had just had dinner and were washing up, they were having a play fight with the soap bubbles when Shane had come in and taken the picture. He gave it to them as a gift for the christmas just gone.
Linda smiled and hugged the picture close to her. She slowly put the picture back and went to sit at the dressing table again and began to redo her make-up.
