Chapter 48
A/N Saying goodbye
Sorry but some more sadness. I have to admit even this one had me reaching for the tissue as I wrote it. It is gut wrenching so beware.
Eric and Evelyn and their family arrived mid afternoon the next day. After hugs and tears, they all got down to work. There would be a lot to handle and each didn't want the other overwhelmed.
Lizzy finally came down the stairs when she heard her Uncle Eric's voice. She slammed into him and started crying all over again. Joan had heard her crying throughout the night. She had gone in and tried to comfort her, but Lizzy told her she was fine.
Eric walked her over to the couch and they sat down. He held her as she cried, trying to hold back his own tears. His heart was broken over his sister's death. When his parents died he was grown, but he knew how hard it had been. He could not imagine that loss at her age. He was really worried about both kids. Will seemed to be avoiding his grief, while Lizzy was meeting hers head on and crying nonstop.
The next day they went to the funeral home to finalize the arrangements. They met with the funeral director. He had met with Benjamin and Suzanne a few years ago and worked out their funerals. They only had to decide the day of the funeral and viewing.
Once they arrived back at the house, Eric asked Joan to go for a ride. Joan had learned to ride once she moved to the farm. Billy saddled each of them a horse and they set off for the picnic area.
They dismounted and tied the horses up. "I wanted to ask you about the kids. I know that Benjamin and Suzanne wanted you to take them if anything ever happened to them. Are you prepared to do that or do Evelyn and I need to make other arrangements?" he asked her.
Joan looked towards the water and took a deep breath. "I really want to do what is best for the kids. I know I have a job that requires me to travel a lot. I don't want them raised by a nanny and they need a full time caregiver. Do you think we should ask them what they want?" she asked.
Eric really didn't want the kids to have to move from the only home they had ever known. It would be very upsetting to move them to Kentucky. He wasn't sure with the farm and raising their own kids, they could give them the attention they would need. He would do it if that is what it took.
"I have taken a leave of absence for now and I will be here for them. I think we just let me raise them for the time being and see what happens in the future," she suggested.
Eric agreed. They would get through the funeral and viewing and then talk to the kids. They got back on the horses and headed back to the house.
That night he talked to Evelyn and told her what he and Joan had talked about. She agreed the kids would need some stability and letting them stay in their home and Charlottesville would be what would be best for them.
Friday evening was the viewing. Lizzy had told her aunt that she wanted to go a little early and spend some one on one time with her parents. She didn't want to do it with a lot of people there.
She walked in and saw the two coffins and didn't know what to expect. She pulled a chair over and sat down between them. She sat there for a while and then stood. She walked over to her Dad. She reached in and took his hand. It was very cold, so unlike him. Even in the dead of winter his hands were always warm. He didn't look like himself. The tie was all wrong, he rarely wore them. He was most comfortable in khakis and a button down shirt. He had taken to wearing cowboy boots since he was on farms a lot. "Daddy, why did you leave me? What am I going to do without you? You still had a lot of math to teach me and more about sports. How can I go on without you? Who is going to walk me down the aisle when I marry the man I love?" She sat back down in the chair and let her tears stream down her face.
She then walked over to her Mom. "Mom, who is going to help me get ready for my prom, my wedding and help me with my future children? It is not fair that you left me. I am not ready to let you go, I have so many questions that you need to answer for me." She sat back down and let silent tears stream down her face just staring at both coffins. She wasn't sure how long she sat there until she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Sweetheart, people are starting to arrive. Are you ready to let them in?" her uncle asked her.
She nodded her head and walked out of the room.
The next day hundreds of people gathered for the funeral. The Barnes family had come in from Colorado and Lizzy had truly broken down when Izzy walked in the house earlier that morning. It was a sad and solemn service.
Each one of the family laid a white rose on the coffins and with a final prayer, Benjamin and Suzanne were lowered into their final resting place.