He hasn't had a nightmare this time, but waking up still made him nauseous.
8.30 am. It was a semi-cloudy morning, sun beams were visible and hot enough to remind that it was still summer time. Coop got up in his bed and waited for a while. There were two reasons for it: first he had to be sure there were no traps (paranoid thanks to Kat) and second to mentally prepare for the visit. He wasn't feeling that bad compared to a few days prior but he was definetly tense.
"Coop, Millie! Are you guys awake? Come on get prepared we're gonna have breakfast!" yelled Mr. Burtonburger from downstairs.
Two child of the household washed their face and brushed their teeth. During that moment Coop realized somethig: Kat was nowhere to be seen.
"Yo Millie, where's our feline freak? Usually he would wait for me to rip me to shreds. It's pretty quiet this morning." Said Coop with a bit of confusion.
"And yet again, you had to ruin this peaceful morning…" sighed Millie.
"Mr. Kat would never do that unless you provoke him! You always play rough with him and he gets mad so it's your fault actually! Hmph." Millie turned her face towards somewhere else and began to go down the stairs.
"Yeah of course, it's always me in the end isn't it… Whatever, hope that rodent looking alien won't do something stupid… i'm tense already i don't want to cause a ruckus." Said Coop to himself while going down the stairs.
In his den, Kat was laughing with joy and pride, thinking this one would make Coop draw the last straw and submit to him totally. Then he could plan what to do with a defeated Coop… He could maybe let Coop pet him once in a while but… enough he was trying to maintain his posture, he had to focus to his plan again.
"Are you done with the breakfast? İf so come on let's get into the car." Said Mr. Burt while he was trying to collect the plates.
They all got in the car. After they went for a bit, they stopped at Phoebe's house.
"Okay Millie have lot's of fun okay! We'll be going now." After saying that he kissed his little baby girl.
"Ok dad bye!" and with that said, Millie went to the pool party.
The rest of the road was silent. Coop was looking through the window and trying to learn the road towards cemetery. They left those suburban houses that were spread through the city and went out of town. After a bit, there were only pine trees covering the road. It was a long ride, and the discomfort in Coop's guts was only increasing along the road. Mr. Burt broke the silence first.
"You okay son? Getting nervous?"
"Well… what do you think?" said Coop with a little sarcasm in his tone.
"Son i know you still feel tense but i promise you it'll be okay. I'm aware of your anxiety but i also know you miss her. I miss her too. And even just for that, we owe her at least a visit. Don't you agree?"
"… Yeah dad, i do." Said Coop in a defeated tone.
"That's my boy. Thank you Coop, you are a good kid you know that right?"
"Thanks dad, really."
"Atta boy. And just like that we've arrived. See for yourself!" said Burt while pointing to the front.
Coop wasn't expecting to arrive there in a sudden and got panicked for a while. Then he started to understand what was in front of him. A large area with a hill at the center which was not very high, covered in various trees and gravestones. At the front there was a parking lot, there weren't many cars there but still it was more then what Coop was expecting. They parked the car next to the other ones and got out. There was a stone pathway that starts at the entrance and goes on to the hill's top.
"Let's go son."
They've started to walk the pathway, and while they were going, Coop started to look around. There were a few people standing at their loved ones' grave. Some were standing in an utter silence, some were whispering their thoughts and some were crying for their sons, daughters, mothers and fathers. The crying ones were the hardest to look at for Coop, he was feeling like his legs were gonna give up. The more he stepped, the more he felt heavy. They kept going through the path and started to go up the hill. After they got up to the top, they went off the path and began to walk to a grave near an oak tree.
"We're there." Said Mr. Burt, his voice was maybe a bit louder than a whisper. He was being very careful with his sound and posture. He looked like someone else for a moment, he wasn't the happy go lucky type dad he always used be. This man was surrounded with a heavy aura. Coop followed his father's eyes and began to look at the gravestone his father was looking. And in that gravestone, he read his much loved mother's name, it's been a while since he saw that name: Elena. Elena Burtonburger.