Chapter 3: Four Feet Beneath

                  Sunday, January 14^th 1996

                  A guy fell asleep since last night on a couch in an old house while an older man who is his father slept on his room as usual, since this is his house. It was 4 a.m. before the sun even rose, Victor Hillston woke up, still laying on the couch he fell asleep on, didn’t feel spirited even a bit for today. It has been two days since her mother death. He still couldn’t even stop thinking of his beloved mother, Rose Hillston. Even the sleep that was mentioned before actually could not be said as sleep as how it seemed to because all Victor did was just closing his eyes for a long time, as how sleeping people would. Perhaps the same thing happened to his father inside the bedroom. Now there were no one except himself, what happened with him for two nights after his wife death will always remain secret. The house was still filled with sorrow and can be said there were almost no sounds made inside except when Victor asked his father to have some meal or if their neighbor’s dog barked which can be heard from inside their house. It was dead silent.

                  Victor finally managed to get himself up, away from the couch, stretched his body a little bit just so some of his bones could make a cracking sound and relieved himself from the sore he felt due to an uncomfortable sleeping position in such couch – just a little bit, but enough. He got to get himself ready, slick and neat, for the last day he could see his mother with his own eyes, not through imaginations, not through descriptions, nor through pictures. It was his mother’s funeral. The funeral will be held at the graveyard owned by the church where his parents usually worship. Not so far away from the house where he was currently at, but still more convenient by car. Victor went to the bathroom and stare at the mirror there by the sink. He realized how he was such a mess after two days doing nothing but mourning. He didn’t even check his phone is perhaps a message – or probably more than one – was sent into his phone. Finally washed his face, thoroughly foaming every features on it and brushed his teeth Victor later on took a shower with making less sound as possible so he wouldn’t wake  his father up this early. Tommy still needed some rest as per the doctor said the morning before when he woke up from his faint due to his heart attack. Did nothing for almost one hour before finally turning on the shower, Victor finally went out the bathroom with towel around his waist covering his private part while the body left as it is uncovered. Seeking and choosing between clothes in the closet frustrated him so he just wore a black long pants, a white long-sleeved shirt tucked inside with a black suit layering it as his outfit to his mother’s funeral at St. Agnes Graveyard. Not so special, perhaps looked exactly alike as the other men attending the funeral but neat enough considering his currently broken mental.

                  Knocked a little bit loud on the door of his father’s room, Victor then went in the room, found out that Tommy was still asleep, safe and sound. An arch carved on his lip. It was such a relieve for him that his father managed to sleep, despite the fact that must be true that Tommy wouldn’t have let his wife’s death passed that easily, so he just sat there. Let’s give him a few minutes more before waking him up on his wife’s funeral, he thought. Staring at his father, with such love, although Victor isn’t the type to show his affection bluntly and boldly through verbal nor action, it can’t be denied that Tommy and Rose was, is, and will be his forever beloved person. Furthermore he doesn’t really have any other relatives other than those two – now one. If counting Billy in, the neighbor, who knows his family really well and has been by their side since Victor was a newborn or perhaps long long before, then it would still be two.

                  Victor got up from the chair there and moved himself a little bit closer to his father. “Tommy, wake up-“ he said, shook Tommy’s body slightly and continued his words, “-it’s mom’s funeral. You won’t want to miss it.” Victor then left Tommy, let him be, after Victor made sure that his father has woken up of course. Back on the couch that he left an hour ago in estimate, he sat and checked his phone that at that time had not much to do except messenger and call, and perhaps some other basic stuffs. He opened some messages that he got, mostly said that they felt sorry with what was happened and hope that both Victor and Tommy will recover real soon, and so Victor replied it simply by still making sure that it was polite enough to not look rude. He opened as well the message from one of his workers at the bakery shop, asking about his condition and else, as well informing that they currently have the key to the bakery shop since Victor left the shop two days ago and had not came back since then. “Sorry for suddenly left the shop before, I have an urgent thing to do. You and Brick may rest for this weekend, let the shop closed. I will get back there on Monday.” a reply by Victor was sent to Blaire, the worker who sent him the message before.

                  “You look good.” a voice of an old man broke the silence in the house. Put his phone down, Victor looked up at his father who already woke up although had not prepared himself for the funeral just yet, smiling at him. “As how my father is. Go get yourself prepared. We shan’t be late.” Victor said with a smile on to Tommy who looked tired with the words Victor just threw, not because of not liking it, more likely because Victor never accepted his praise since he was a kid and that first sentence has always been his answer. How not creative, he thought. Tommy left the younger there on the couch, again with his activity while he went to the bathroom to clean himself up. It was his wife’s funeral, so he should make sure that he look as good as usual. This would be his last time to see the woman that made him fall in love and since has never failed to make him so.

                  With almost an exact set of suit Tommy finally went to approach Victor who was at the car, already ready to go to his most beloved woman’s burial. Victor looked at the old man with such amazement. How could he be so strong and kept on smiling to him, when deep down, with not a single doubt, Tommy was the most broken-hearted one at the moment. He expected Tommy to not be able to cover up his sadness but the his smile brought Victor back to reality that Tommy was, and is, called a strong man for a reason. It was just 2 days but he seemed like already let his wife left him with sincere. While him… still felt depressed as he never felt before, the loss he never experienced before.

                  The burial was held on 9 in the morning, sharp. Nothing went wrong, including Victor who in fact was trying his best to hold the tremble to cause him to collapse down on his knees. Seeing his mother, who gave him birth, put inside the coffin, blessed and prayed. Later on, not so long after, Rose Hillston finally buried four feet beneath in the grave where on the tombstone written her name.

                  “No crying. Let your mother live her happiest afterlife.” a trembling voice that obviously is perfectly held in by the man who said that to the other man, who stands closest to the tomb. Two taps felt on the kneeling man’s shoulder. Radiating what that a true love means to let go, or so the people say.

                  There goes the burial went on for around 1 hour despite the fact that Victor and Tommy stayed there for longer, not to mention that Billy the neighbor was as well there by their side. Talking to the woman who has been buried somehow, someway, made Victor felt a little bit … just a little bit … more calm and accepting. He wouldn’t leave his mother’s tomb if the sun didn’t rise already and he, himself, felt dizzy after skipping breakfast this morning and perhaps meals the day before. Victor managed to go with his father, and Billy, to a nearby restaurant that serves burger as their signature dish, and bothering no menu they straightly ordered 3 same burgers as for their lunch.

                  Tommy’s voice broke the silence that covered their lunch, “Victor, I miss my hometown.” “And that’s on…?” Victor didn’t pay attention to his father’s saying, and actually all things, that he just focused himself on the burger that’s just half more way to go. “Let’s go to Rhode Island, young man.”

                  “I need to manage my bakery shop. It’s closed for 2 days-“

                  “Not today. As soon as you can. Whenever is fine by me.” Tommy cut off his son’s word and continue his lunch. Billy stayed there eating without saying not a single gasp of air afraid if that could make the two got sensitive and else. So did Victor. He didn’t reply a single word, and didn’t even bother himself to simply give a nod to his father’s last sentence and forth their lunch went with silence until Victor went to his home after dropping his father by the house where his mother died.