FALL OF A PATRIARCH

The procession led to the cemetery. The mood was somber and dark clouds hung in the sky, threatening to burst open as the crowd walked slowly behind the white casket that was on a cart, highly decorated with purple and green ribbons. The cart was being pulled by black mares that trotted with their heads held high as if they knew the magnitude of their duty.

The purple ribbons signified the highest rank that the deceased had held in the army; before retirement, he was the Major General, answering directly to the President. The green ribbons represented the clan color of the Waynes, the wealthiest family that ruled the business society in the country.

A lady in her late sixties was being held on both sides by two gentleman as they helped her up the slope where the family cemetery was situated. On her right was her only son while her nephew, the son to her younger brother, held her left hand. She sniffed and shivered slightly in the cold and immediately, a young lady with gentle but sorrowful eyes, rushed and placed a shawl around her shoulders.

The lady looked behind to find her distasteful daughter-in-law bowing her head. She had no strength to fight and decided to let it go as she held tightly on to her son. The lady seeing the disgust on her mother-in-law’s face, stepped back a pace and held the hand of a young boy. She felt her journey to bleakness would never end.

The Little boy felt his mother’s sadness and squeezed her hand in assurance. He might have been young but he had seem too much of his mother’s suffering but he was still too small to do anything about it.

The wind howled and the pregnant clouds threatened to release it’s load with a low grumble. The priest signaled to the his helper to rush the horses to the grave site. He needed to be done with the funeral before the clouds exploded.

At the site, the crowd stood solemnly while the matriarch sat on a chair, her body to weak with grief to withhold the pain. She had not only lost her husband but her pillar of support and she didn’t know how she was going to live without him. Thinking of the life she had with him, tears flowed freely on her face.

A young lady in a white chiffon blouse that hugged her bust and a tight-fitting long skirt with a slit in the middle that showed her milky white thighs when she walked, came forward and handed her a handkerchief.

“It's okay Mom. I am here with you” she said in a low, sorrowful voice.

The woman, tightly held her hand as if her life depended on it so her son had to bring another chair for the lady to sit on and be near his mother to offer her support.

Megan, who was standing behind them looked at the casket and sighed. Things were already being spelled for her loud and clear and she did not know how she was going to live in the house again without her father-in-law.

He was the one who had brought her into the family and the one who always stood by her and advocated for her even when his son chose to be a pinhead and ignored his wife.

"From dust we came, to dust we shall return" the priest concluded and made a sign of the cross in the air to signify the end of the funeral service.

The people who had attended the service, formed a line and came to offer their condolences to the family starting with the widow. When that was done, her son helped her up and took her back to the car, as she supported herself by holding on to the young lady's elbow.

Megan, who had become invisible with her father-in-law's death, held her son's hand to go down the slope. She got to the car that had brought her here in the procession but was held back by her husband, stopping her from climbing in.

"I have reserved this car for Liana's parents so you had better look for other means to get back home" he said, giving her a stern look. What he really wished for was for her to vanish and never appear in his life again. Agreeing to his father's demands was the worst mistake that he ever made and he would do everything to rectify it now that the old man was dead and there was absolutely nothing to stop him.

Liana came to his side and intertwined her slender hands with his then looked at Megan and her son as if they were the most repulsive things in the world.

"Honey, Mum and Dad are tired and they need to go home and rest" she purred. Her soft, silky voice was always a turn-on for Rich and he turned to look at her.

It's okay babe, the car is ready" he said, planting a kiss on her cheek.

Megan was too tired to be shocked by her husband's brazen act. She took her son's hand and went down the road. All the cars had already left and she had no choice but to call a cab. She had reached a point of no tears after suffering humiliation from her husband countless times and now that Father was gone, she would probably face more. Pain had become her conjoined twin and there was no breaking away from it.

After Rich had seen Liana's parents off, he took his girlfriend in an embrace, wanting nothing but to devour her. He was an insatiable being when it came to Liana and he never could have enough of her.

"What would you like to do now that the old man is dead and buried?" he whispered in her right ear, slightly brushing his tongue in her ear lobe.

Liana, very sensitive in that part, squirmed and playfully pushed him away. "Honey stop, we need to go back to the house and support mother. She should not be alone at this time".