Will sat in a folding chair staring at the grave in front of him. The service was over, and he was alone by the gravesite. The service had been fine as services go. Not the best he had ever been to but far from the worst. Many people had come to offer their condolences most of which Will remembered from the previous evening at the funeral parlor. But everyone was gone now, moving on to the church where his parents were members for refreshments and conversation. He had told his mother to go on without him as he wanted to spend some time by himself. She had understood and given his hand a long hard squeeze before leaving.
Now he sat here wondering what he was trying to accomplish by staying behind. He had so many thoughts running through his mind that it was hard to concentrate on just one to try to come to any type of resolution before it was replaced with another. So he sat, his mind spinning in circles. He wasn't sure how long he sat there before it dawned on him that there was a presence off to his side. He sighed thinking it was the cemetery crew wanting to tackle the job of filling in the grave before it got dark. He was surprised when he looked up to see Kevin. Kevin gave him a small smile and said softly, "Hey."
Will was grateful to see Kevin so he reciprocated with a small smile of his own and a soft, "Hey."
"Do you want some company or would you rather be alone?" Kevin asked tentatively.
Will inclined his head towards the seat next to him. Kevin sat down quietly beside him. Will closed his eyes as he felt Kevin's warmth along his side. It made him feel better, and the thoughts in his head slowed down. He took a deep breath and kept his eyes closed until he felt Kevin take his hand. When he opened his eyes, he saw Kevin's hand wrapped around his own. He squeezed Kevin's hand tightly, and Kevin squeezed back just as hard. That was when the first sob ripped through him. It took him completely by surprise. He tried desperately to stop the next one from coming and was only slightly successful. By the time the third one came, Kevin had him in a tight embrace. Softly Kevin's voice wafted into his consciousness, "It's okay Will…I've got you…just let go…I won't let you go…I promise…I've got you…it's okay…"
It was the safe harbor Will needed to unleash his emotions, so he did, sobbing into Kevin's shoulder. True to his word, Kevin held onto him until long after the sobs passed. When Will finally pulled away from Kevin, he felt like he had been hit by a train. Kevin pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and gave it to Will silently. Will wiped his eyes and blew his nose sitting back on his seat. Will sat there dejectedly watching Kevin's hand rub his thigh lulling Will until he could hardly keep his eyes open. He startled awake when he heard Kevin speak. "Will? Are you okay?"
Will turned to him blearily. "I think so."
Kevin continued to rub his thigh comfortingly. "Do you want to talk?" Will just sat there not knowing what to say. He still hadn't figured out his thoughts regarding his Dad yet. Kevin seemed to understand that, so he turned the conversation in a different direction. "I haven't had a chance to talk to you much today. How did things go with your Mom last night?"
It took Will a moment to adjust to the change in topic. "Good. It was good."
"She answered your questions?" Kevin asked calmly.
"Yeah, she did. It was what I suspected. She was mostly following my Dad's lead." Will thought about his mother for a moment before saying, "My mother has some strength to her in her own way, but she's always bowed to my father's say so. She always let him lead when it came to any big decisions. She would never go against him." Will paused as he contemplated his next thought. "It will be interesting to see what she does without him around. I wonder how she'll be different. She's already told me that she wants us to stay in touch."
Kevin squeezed his thigh and smiled at him. "That's great Will. I'm happy for you. You may have lost your Dad, but it sounds like you got your Mom back."
Will smiled at that, "I did." Will suddenly turned to Kevin. "Thank you."
"For what?" Kevin said deprecatingly.
Will leaned forward and looked directly into Kevin's eyes. "For caring enough about me to haul my ass out of the car."
Will watched as a plethora of emotions sped across Kevin's face before he simply said, "You're welcome."
