Chapter 23
Erin and Kim made sure they looked okay before entering the funeral hall, seeing a medium sized hall with the casket set at the far end of the room while people talked in hushed tones at both sides of the aisle. They held hands as they approached the casket to look at William's grandmother's remains, silently offering a prayer before turning around to offer their condolences to William and his family.
Sarah was leaning onto her father's shoulder. Her eyes were red and fluffy, obviously from crying at the loss of her beloved grandma. Leonard had his arm draped over her shoulder, consoling his daughter as they comfort one another. Beside Leonard was Penny who was leaning onto her son's shoulder, comforting him.
Erin and Kim then went towards Leonard and Sarah.
"Dr. Hofstadter, we're so sorry for your loss." said Erin as they shook his hand.
"Thank you Erin. You're very kind." said Leonard.
"Our condolences Dr. Hofstadter." said Kim, shaking his hand.
"Thank you." Leonard said.
Erin knelt in front of Sarah, looking her in the eye while touching her hand. "Sarah, I'm so sorry." she said giving the young woman's hand a squeeze.
Sarah suddenly hugged Erin while crying on her shoulder.
"It's gonna be alright Sarah." Erin said consoling William's sister, trying to keep herself together.
"Why did she have to die!?" said Sarah, not letting go of Erin.
"Hey, at least she's not gonna suffer anymore. She's at peace now." Erin said as she helped the young lady back to her seat, leaning back onto her father.
"Erin's right honey." said Leonard, rubbing his hand on her back.
"If I knew she would die, I would've let her play inside my head a lot more." Sarah said, making Leonard and Penny a little emotional.
Kim took a bottle of water from the side table and gave it to Sarah. "Here, have some water." she said as Sarah took a small sip, calming down a bit.
"Thanks Kim." she said.
"No problem." Kim said as they went over to William and Penny to shake their hands before taking their seats behind them.
Sarah then stood up to join Erin and Kim, sitting between them. "So? Are you okay now?" asked Erin, rubbing her hand on Sarah's back.
"A little bit." said Sarah, wiping her tears before facing her. "How do I look?" she asked making Erin smile a little.
"Come on, let's go freshen up in the washroom." said Erin, pulling her off the chair as Kim followed them.
Penny and Leonard looked at each other and sighed, shaking their heads in disbelief as William gave a weak smile, amused by his sister's vanity.
The three girls returned after almost fifteen minutes, taking their seats behind Sarah's parents. Penny, William and Leonard turned around to take a look at their princess.
"Wow! You look amazing!" Leonard said with a hint of sarcasm.
Sarah decided to ignore her father's swipe at her. "Thank you daddy!" she said, taking it like a champ.
"Are you going to a prom or something?" Penny asked, deciding to jump in.
"Mom, aren't you glad that I'm as pretty as you?" asked Sarah, earning a smile from her mother. "And I'm sure grandma won't mind if I make myself a little presentable! Right?" she added.
"How would you know what grandma would think?" asked William.
"She told me before." said Sarah. "She told me that being pretty has it's downsides. Like people will not take you seriously because they'll think that you don't know any better." said Sarah before continuing. "She also told me to be careful with guys who'll just see me for my looks and not for what's inside." she said, surprising her parents and her brother for her insightful comment.
Leonard then put his hands on her head as if checking for something.
"Dad, cut it out!" said Sarah.
"What was that all about?" Erin asked.
"I'm just checking if my daughter has an alien parasite on her head or something." said Leonard making them laugh a bit, quickly quieting down as the other people in the hall looked at them.
"Yeah, she was like this when you had a heart attack right?" Penny said to Leonard before turning to Erin and Kim. "She told Leonard that she's gonna break up with Jason, thinking that having a boyfriend was what caused her daddy's heart attack." Penny said.
"You were gonna break up with Jason?" Kim asked.
"Why not? I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I accidentally killed my dad." Sarah said.
"Aww, that is so sweet!" said Erin.
They continued sharing stories, mostly about her late grandmother until a few of William's colleagues and professors from Princeton arrived. They went to Leonard and his family to offer their condolences before going over to Leonard's brother Michael and sister Catherine and their families offering the same.
"I'm sorry for your loss Dr. and Mrs. Hofstadter." said Jimmy, shaking their hands.
"Thanks Jimmy." he said.
"Hello Sarah." said Jimmy before greeting Erin. "Hi Erin." he said.
"Hi Jimmy, by the way this is my roommate Kim." said Erin as Jimmy shook Kim's hand, smiling at her.
"Hi Kim, it's so nice to meet you!" he said.
"Nice to meet you too Jimmy." said Kim, smiling back at him. "Erin told me about you when you helped William move in." she added,
"Yeah, William told me about you too. I can't believe this is the first time I'm meeting you." said Jimmy while still holding Kim's hand.
"Yeah, it's kinda weird right?" Kim said, not pulling her hand away from Jimmy's.
"Uh, are you gonna let go of her hand?" William chimed in as Jimmy let go of Kim's hand, feeling a little awkward.
"Thanks for the help Will!" Jimmy said with a little sarcasm, making Erin and Kim smile. "Hey, uh, I'm gonna go get some coffee over there, do you want me to get you something?" Jimmy asked Kim.
Kim smiled before standing up. "Don't bother, I'm gonna join you." she said as they walk away to the surprise of the young family and Erin.
Sarah looked at Erin and her parents. "Uh, is it just me or was it weird to pick up a girl in a funeral?" she asked.
"Not to mention out of place." Erin said.
Jimmy and Kim returned after a few minutes, talking to each other, sitting beside Erin.
Sarah faced Kim. "So, did he ask you out?" she asked, surprising her parents and brother while Erin laughed a little.
"Sarah Hofstadter!" Penny said, trying not to yell at her daughter.
"What!?" said Sarah. "They seem to be getting along with each other, right?" she added.
Kim smiled at Sarah. "It's alright Sarah. And to answer your question, yes he asked me out and we're having dinner tomorrow." said Kim to the surprise of Penny and Erin.
"Kim?" Erin said.
"Why not?" Kim said. "I'm not seeing anyone right now!" she said before turning to William. "Wait, Jimmy's not seeing anyone else right?" she asked.
"No one. As far as I know." said William.
"Do you know what you're gonna wear for tomorrow?" Sarah asked Kim, making Leonard, Penny and William roll their eyes.
"Now that's our daughter!" Leonard said to Penny, making her smile.
Kim was about to speak when Jimmy cut her off. "Hey listen, I gotta go. I'll call you later okay?" he said pointing at his colleagues waving at him.
Kim nodded. "Okay Jim." she said as Jimmy kissed her hand, making Sarah giggle.
"Bye Dr. Hofstadter." said Jimmy before standing up to join his friends and colleagues.
Sarah turned to Erin and Kim. "Oh my god! That is so exciting!" she said, giggling a little. "So what are you gonna wear tomorrow?" she asked Kim.
Kim sighed with relief and can't help herself from smiling. "I don't know. Maybe I'll buy something from the mall later." she said.
"Can I come with you?" asked Sarah.
"You've got to be kidding me!?" William said to his sister as their parent glared at the young lady.
"Why not?" Sarah said.
"In case you haven't noticed, grandma just passed away and here you are getting giggly about shopping for dresses and girl stuff!" said William.
Sarah frowned. "If grandma was alive, I'm sure she wouldn't mind." she said making her parents sigh and shake their heads.
"If grandma was alive then we wouldn't be here! I'll be at the university working and you'll be in California with your precious Jason!" said William, slightly raising his voice as Penny put her hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him down.
"Okay, both of you just please stop and lower the heat okay?" said Leonard.
"She started it!" said William, clearly upset with his sister.
"Okay I'm sorry!" said Sarah. "Dad, can I come with Kim?" she asked, pleading to her father.
"I give up." William said putting his head on his hands.
"Please dad! Of course I'm sad about grandma passing but it wouldn't hurt if I get a little distraction right?" said Sarah. "And Erin's gonna be there with us, right?" she said as Erin nodded.
Leonard sighed before facing his wife. Penny took a deep breath and nodded, not wanting to prolong the situation. "Fine, you can go." said Leonard.
Erin tapped Leonard's arm. "Don't worry Dr. Hofstadter, we'll look out for her." said Erin.
"Thank you Erin." said Leonard as William stood up, trying not to freak out.
"I'm gonna go get some air." William said before walking away, as Leonard and Penny looked at their son.
Erin stood up. "I'm gonna go and talk to him." she said, following William.
Sarah looked at them before turning to her father. "I'm sorry dad." she said as she started to cry again.
Leonard stood up and sat beside his daughter, reassuring her. "It's alright honey. I know you're just trying not to think about your grandma. I feel the same way too." he said as Sarah leaned her head on his shoulder.
"I guess I just got excited for Kim having a date with Jimmy." said Sarah.
Kim touched Sarah's hand. "Don't worry Sarah, Erin and I will take you for some ice cream later. Nothing beats being sad than a big bowl of Rocky Road with everything on it. Right?" said Kim.
Sarah smiled and was about to speak when Leonard and Penny glared at her, silently telling her to shut it.
Penny then leaned over and touched Kim's arm. "Ice cream is my daughter's kryptonite, you can practically kidnap her with a couple pints of Baskin Robbins." she said as Sarah kept quiet and surrendered to her parents.
"Don't worry Mrs. Hofstadter, your secret is safe with me." Kim said as Sarah sighed, unable to retaliate.
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
Outside the funeral home, Erin saw William standing under a tree, looking at his phone so she decided to walk up and join him.
"Hey, are you alright?" Erin asked.
"Not really." said William.
"Come on William, I think it's just your sister's way of dealing with your grandma passing away. We both know her heart's in the right place." said Erin.
William sighed, giving Erin a weak smile. "I guess you're right." he said. "I'm sorry for storming out." he added.
"Hey, don't worry about it." Erin said, tapping his shoulder.
William saw a sandwich and hotdog stand at the next lot. "Hey, you wanna go over there and have a bite?" he said pointing at the food stand.
Erin smiled a little. "Sure." she said as they walk side by side, making small talk as Erin tried to steer the conversation away from Beverly's wake.
They reached the sandwich shop and decided to get a couple of tuna sandwiches and fries with an orange juice for William and a Pepsi for Erin. They took their food to a vacant table and started eating.
"Hey, you never told me what happened to that problem you're stuck with." Erin said.
"Oh I already solved it." said William like it was an afterthought.
"Really? That's great!" said Erin.
"Thanks. I saw this math paper and decided to try the techniques they used. Luckily it worked out." he said.
"So what's next after that?" asked Erin.
"A lot of paperwork, typing it up, getting the correct references and citations, editing and revisions...tedious stuff really." he said.
"Well at least the hard part is already finished right?" Erin said.
"I'm crossing my fingers. If they find a single thing wrong with it, I have to start from the ground up." he said.
"It's that difficult huh?" she said.
William nodded. "Yeah, I guess." he said.
"Hey, I hope you won't mind but did you and Halley talk lately? You know, with your grandma passing away and such?" said Erin.
"She sent me a text and called me afterwards, we talked for a while but nothing out of the ordinary really." said William.
"I'm sorry Will." Erin said, touching his hand.
"Don't be, it's not like she's the only girl who left me right?" he said referring to his grandmother.
"Hey don't talk like that. Everybody will go through this eventually." she said. "My grandpa died when I was about eight or nine, and we were really close, like he was more of a father to me than my own dad." she added.
"Really?" William said.
"Yeah, I mean my grandpa would always walk with me everyday to school and fetch me in the afternoon. He liked walking to get some exercise. Then one day after class, he wasn't there to pick me up so I walked alone. When I arrived, my cousin was crying, telling me that grandpa died. I guess I passed out because when I opened my eyes, I was in the hospital and my mom was crying, thinking that I died from a stroke or something." said Erin.
"Oh my god, that's so terrible!" he said.
"Then my grandma died two years after." She said.
"Oh my god!" said William. "I'm sorry." he added.
"Well, they were inseparable when they were alive. Maybe that's the reason my grandma sort of followed my grandpa in the afterlife, you know so they could be together again." She said.
"I guess we both have something in common with our grandparents huh?" William said.
Erin nodded, smiling at William. "Sometimes I think about them once in a while just to amuse myself, thinking of the time when they were still alive." she said.
Erin and William continued talking, sharing stories about their grandparents. He told her about Beverly and Alfred's divorce and his role into getting them back together, impressing Erin for his cleverness. Erin told him about the fun stuff she did with her grandpa, usually walking in the woods and sight-seeing. Erin was glad to see William open up, relieving the grief that the past couple of days has brought him.
William was thankful that Erin was there to listen to his stories, happy that he got to talk to someone he can relate to on a personal level. He knew he could always talk to his parents about anything but there were things that he preferred to keep to himself, knowing how protective they were of him, especially his mother.
After talking for almost an hour, they decided to go back, feeling relieved after pouring out their thoughts to one another.
"Thanks for listening Erin. You're really great." he said.
Erin smiled and suddenly put her hands around his arm, surprising William. "Hey don't mention it." she said.
William felt uneasy with Erin holding on to him. "Uh Erin?" he asked.
Erin smiled at him. "Relax Will, it's nothing! We'll tell them that you felt a little dizzy." she said.
William laughed a little. "Okay, sure." he said as they walked back into the funeral home.
Sarah, Kim, Leonard and Penny looked at the two as they joined them, sitting beside Sarah.
"Okay is it me or is it 'have an instant boyfriend day' today?" Sarah asked.
"Relax Sarah, your brother was feeling a little dizzy that's why I had to hold onto him, to keep him from falling down." said Erin.
"Oh my god, are you alright sweetheart!?" Penny asked, worried for her son while touching his face.
"I'm fine mom, I'm just tired I guess." he said to the relief of Penny.
"Well, just to let you know, if my brother asks you out, you have my blessing!" Sarah said surprising them, with Erin and William blushing a little.
"Where did that come from!?" asked William.
"Well, you're single, she's single, I mean it's not like you're cheating with each other right?" said Sarah as her parents shake their heads in disbelief.
"I think it's time for you girls to buy Kim's dress and have that ice cream." said Leonard.
"I guess Dr. Hofstadter's right." Kim said.
"Don't worry Mrs. Hofstadter, Sarah's safe with us." Erin added.
Sarah stood up and hugged her parents, kissing their cheek to say goodbye. "Bye mom, bye dad, I promise I'll behave." she said before holding onto Kim's arm as they walk away.
William sighed and shook his head before looking at Leonard.
"Don't look at me. She's your mother's daughter too!" said Leonard as Penny glared at him.
"You're lucky we only have enough room for one funeral today." she said to Leonard in a low voice.
Leonard smiled at her and pulled her close to lean on his shoulder. "I love you honey." he said.
Penny held his hand, feeling his warm embrace. "I love you too." she said, trying hard not to think about her and Leonard's mortality. Penny knew that they were still far along before biting the dust. She thought that no matter how much she tells herself that they'll eventually leave this world, she could never be prepared to see Leonard leave her behind.