Chapter 18
March 28, 1996.
On Thursday morning, Tiegan arrived at Stephanie's house wearing a black dress. Stephanie wore a black blazer and black skirt and had her hair in two small buns. The funeral was going to be held at St Mary's Cathedral at midday. Melissa would be taking the girls to the church and back home after the funeral was over.
"This is going to be a really sad day for us." Stephanie told Tiegan.
"I know." Tiegan responded.
"I think we both need a hug." Stephanie said.
Tiegan and Stephanie hugged just as Melissa knocked on the door.
"Ready to go?" she asked them.
"We're ready." Stephanie replied.
The three girls got in the car and drove into the city. They eventually arrived at the church just before eleven-thirty.
"There's so many people here." Tiegan said as she looked at the huge crowd gathered outside the church.
"I guess Louis and Corey were loved by everyone." Stephanie said sadly.
Melissa got teary-eyed when Stephanie said that.
"Melissa, come here." Stephanie said to her.
Melissa hugged Stephanie as she sobbed.
"This is so hard." Melissa cried.
"We're going to get out of the car and pay our respects." Tiegan said softly.
The three girls got out of the car and started walking to the church.
"Is Jerome coming?" Tiegan asked Stephanie.
"I think so." Stephanie replied.
"I'm going to find Corey's parents." Melissa said before walking off.
"Girls?"
Tiegan and Stephanie saw Jerome and Selina coming towards them. Jerome's eyes were all red and swollen, while Selina looked sad.
"We didn't think you would come, Jerome." Tiegan said.
"I came to say goodbye to my old rugby friends." Jerome said to her.
"And I came for moral support." Selina said.
"Tiegan?"
Tiegan looked over and saw Kate Martin, her old friend from Hartley High, walking towards her and Stephanie.
"Kate!"
Tiegan and Kate hugged before they started to cry.
"I just can't believe they're gone." Kate sobbed.
"Me too."
Stephanie started crying once more.
"Oh, Stephanie." Kate cried before hugging Stephanie.
"I loved him, Kate." Stephanie sobbed.
Kate didn't say anything. She just continued to cry.
"It's a full house here." Selina said.
"Most of Louis and Corey's friends are here." Kate told her.
Melissa walked over to them and said, "We can go in now."
Stephanie, Tiegan, Jerome, Selina and Kate followed Melissa inside the church. This was going to be their chance to say their final goodbye to Louis and Corey.
Meanwhile back in Summer Bay, Pippa was putting the dirty laundry in the washing machine when Helen James arrived. A girl with shoulder-length reddish brown hair stood next to the social worker.
"Pippa?" Mrs James called out.
Pippa came out of the laundry and greeted Helen.
"Mrs James, hello."
"This is Kerri Winslow." Mrs James told Pippa. "Kerri, meet Pippa Fletcher. She'll be your new foster mother."
"Hello, Kerri." Pippa said, smiling.
"Hi." Kerri said, smiling back.
"Why don't you get settled in while I talk with Pippa?" Mrs James suggested to Kerri.
"Where can I put my stuff, Pippa?" Kerri asked Pippa.
"In the bedroom upstairs. The second door next to the bathroom." Pippa replied.
"Thank you." Kerri said before she went upstairs to unpack her things.
"Would you like a cup of tea, Helen?" Pippa asked.
"I'd love one." Helen said before sitting down at the table. "Now, I should tell you more about Kerri."
"What happened to her real parents?"
"Well, her parents died in a car accident when she was 4 and she ended up living with her maternal grandmother in Newcastle. When her grandmother passed away, Kerri was put into foster care and has been in and out of foster homes for the last four or five years." Helen replied.
"How old was Kerri when her Nan died?"
"She was 10."
Pippa looked sad. "Poor thing."
"Her stints with her previous foster families never lasted." Helen said. "She got to be quite a handful and they just couldn't cope with her."
"I'm sure she'll have a great experience living here in the Bay." Pippa told Helen.
"I hope so too." Helen said, smiling.
Pippa smiled back.
Stephanie and Tiegan sat on either side of Melissa as they watched the minister begin the funeral service. Two coffins stood next to a bunch of flowers as both Louis and Corey's devastated family and friends listened to the minister's speech.
"I would like to call Louis's mother to deliver her son's eulogy." the minister said.
When Louis's mother took the stand, Stephanie let out a choked sob. Tiegan squeezed her hand tightly.
"Louis was a beautiful and kind-hearted young man full of life. He would always be there for anyone that would need his help. He and Corey first met when they started high school, but became best mates when they started playing rugby together. They practically did everything together. Family wise, Louis was the funny one in the family." his mother said.
As his mother continued her emotional eulogy, Stephanie bit her lip tightly.
"It was only last week that Louis was going to ask this girl out. They met at a birthday party and instantly hit it off. Stephanie, I think her name was." Louis's mother said.
Stephanie put her head down and sobbed uncontrollably. Melissa put her arm around her consolingly.
"I will always love you, Louis. You'll be missed." Louis's mother cried before getting off the stand.
When Corey's mother took the stand, she was a broken woman.
"I j-just can't b-believe that my b-baby boy is g-gone." Corey's mother sobbed. "He w-was l-loved by everyone a-around him and he was a t-talented r-rugby p-player. No mother s-should have to g-go through t-this. It has b-been m-me and C-Corey since h-he was in k-kindergarten when his f-father p-passed away. E-everyone will m-miss y-you Corey."
Corey's mother then broke down in tears.
"I c-can't go on." she sobbed.
One of Corey's family members helped her back to her seat. Tiegan wiped away her own tears as she held Melissa's hand.
"Now, I would like to play a tribute to honour Louis and Corey." the minister said.
The mourners watched the tribute on a small screen as the song "Every Time You Go Away" played. Stephanie and Tiegan both saw photos of them with Louis and Corey that were taken last weekend and held each others hands as they sobbed. Melissa cried as well. Jerome covered his hand and was crying as Selina put her arm around him. When the tribute was over, the minister asked the mourners to say their final goodbyes to Louis and Corey. By the time Stephanie and Tiegan laid roses on both coffins, they were inconsolable.
"Goodbye, guys." Stephanie sobbed.
"We'll miss you." Tiegan cried.
Stephanie and Tiegan put their arms around each other as they walked out of the church.
By the time Stephanie, Tiegan and Melissa returned to Summer Bay, it was nearly four-thirty. They decided to go to the wake, which was held after the funeral hence the reason they came back later in the afternoon. Melissa dropped Stephanie and Tiegan off at Pippa's house before kissing them on the cheek.
"I hope you girls will be okay." Melissa said to them.
"It'll take time." Stephanie told her.
"It will." Tiegan said.
Once Melissa drove off, the girls entered the house.
"How was the funeral?" Pippa asked them.
"I don't want to talk about it, Pippa." Stephanie replied. "I'll just cry again."
Kerri came downstairs at this point.
"Hi there." Kerri said.
"You must be Kerri." Tiegan said. "I'm Tiegan Brook, your new foster sister."
"Cool." Kerri smiled.
"Kerri Winslow, is that you?" Stephanie asked her.
"Stephanie Mboto, come here you!"
Kerri and Stephanie hugged each other as Tiegan looked confused.
"How do you and Steph know each other?" Tiegan asked.
"Kerri stayed with my old foster family in the city for a short period." Stephanie replied. "I was sad to see her leave."
"That's right." Kerri said. "Just one question, though. Did you girls go to a funeral?"
"We did." Stephanie responded.
"Two of our friends died in a car accident last weekend." Tiegan explained to Kerri.
"I'm sorry to hear that." Kerri said, looking sad.
"I better be going." Stephanie said. "I'll see you at school tomorrow, Tiegz."
"Bye."
When Stephanie left, Tiegan sat on the couch watching TV.
"Kerri, why don't you go upstairs for a bit? I need to talk to Tiegan." Pippa said.
"Sure."
Kerri headed upstairs before Pippa went over to Tiegan and gave her a hug.
"I thought you were in the need for one." Pippa told her.
"Thanks, Pip." Tiegan said. "I really needed it."
Sally, Shannon, Sam and Jack soon arrived home.
"Is the new foster kid here?" Jack asked Pippa.
"Yes, but she's upstairs." Pippa replied.
"When can we meet her?" Sally asked.
"I cooked a special dinner to welcome Kerri into the family. You can meet her then."
"I just hope she's nice." Shannon said.
"Agreed." Sam said.
Meanwhile, Kerri was in the bedroom rolling a joint while she was on the phone.
"This place is so boring." Kerri said to the person she was on the phone to. "I really want to get out of here."
Kerri started to smoke the joint.
"I just hope I don't have to play happy families. That would be sickening." Kerri said. "Anyway, I better go. I'll call you sometime. Alright, bye."
Once Kerri hung up the phone, she continued to smoke.
NEXT TIME...
- Kerri is shocked when she discovers that she'll be in the support class at school
- Stephanie and Tiegan have a heart-to-heart