|
|||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
||||
The priest wrapped up his monotone oration by offering solace to the bereaved, and people began walking back to their cars. A knot of clouds overhead threatened to turn the warm August day into a soaker. Some mourners paused to comment softly in Sadie’s ear as they wrapped her in an embrace, but their words of comfort dropped like stones at her feet.
For Sadie, the event was like walking through a surreal emotional fog. She couldn’t wait to leave the cemetery, but then once they arrived at her mom’s house, the emotional cloud was even more suffocating. Mourners arrived for the wake, and a couple hours of small talk sandwiched between murmured repetitions of “so sorry for your loss” made Sadie seek out quiet corners to escape. When the crowd thinned to just family, Zack tracked down Sadie sipping coffee alone in the kitchen.
