Chapter 4. Annies funeral

The rain poured down fiercely on the grassy hill top. Peter had chosen a large plot in the private cemetery. They had seperated the land from the other burial plots upon his wishes. It was fenced off with beautiful golden rose designed fences and a small gate. There were red roses planted along the fence line. This was the honorable thing to do for his beloved, he wanted it to be as beautiful as she was . He knew she deserved a respectful send off to the arms of the Lord. Patrick Walters denied him the right of using the family burial garden. He never did accept Annie in life and now definitely not in death. Annie had no family except Peter and their daughter. The Walters family attended as a gesture for their image in the public eye. They knew that this was the current news on television and the paper. All the servants huddled at the far end. Martha craddled Adrianna in her arms under her large black umbrella held up by Russell. They all wept. Annie was loved. She always treated them with kindness and respect. She never hurt a soul. She was a remarkable woman.

Peter read out his obituary. 

" Annie, my dear wife. I have loved you for as long as I can remember. You had made my darkest days as bright as the sun. You were my best friend and my greatest support. God has taken you to be his angel. You were loved by so many. Always kind with a heart of gold. I never thought you would be gone so soon. I wish we had more time. I wish we could have grown old together. You were our precious gem. I will love you in this lifetime and every other lifetime after this. May your soul rest in peace".

Peter stepped aside as the priest now prayed over her coffin. A prayer to guide her soul to take her seat amongst the angels. Peter had ordered a custom casket.  It was matt white with shiny gold handles and blood red trimmings. Red was always her favorite colour. Annie used red in every painting she did. Her dresses always had a splash of red and her accessories always matched. He wanted Annie to leave this world like the queen she was to him. Everyone took a single red rose and placed it on her. She looked peaceful. Dressed in a white silk dress with a red neckline. Her lips rosy red and her face pale white, like the day he had met her. Her blonde hair, curly, smooth and soft framed her face. He touched her face lovingly and placed his red rose on her chest. He leaned in and kissed her lips and then her forehead. This was the last time he would see his beloved. He sniffled and blinked back his tears as they closed the lid and her casket now descended into the earth. " From ash we were born, to ash we shall return". 

He picked up a hand full of wet soil and through it into the deep dark hole. He heard the thump the soil made as it hit the wood. Each family member did the same. The servants also stepped forward and each through a handful of soil. Martha stepped forward, she picked up  a pinch of soil and put it into Adrianna's hand. She leaned forward and dusted the soil into the hole. Her master looked at her with cold eyes. A look of warning. Martha ignored his death glare and picked up a handful of soil and dropped it in. She then returned to her place,cleaned Adrianna's hand with a wet wipe and whispered, "I'm sorry my love".

Patrick Walters looked from across the cemetery, he was leaving when he had seen Martha and Adrianna. He was curious. He had not seen his son during the entire ceremony glance at the infant or hold her. For an eighty-six year old man, his eyesight was exceptional. He still looked like he was in his sixty's, strikingly handsome with silver greying hair. He dressed in a black and white pin striped suit. His wife Felicia had also seen what her husband was intently staring at,"should we not atleast meet the child, dearest husband?" 

Felicia Walters, was also in her eighties and still beautiful at that age. 

Patrick had married her at a tender age of eighteen. She was a prostitute that he had made pregnant. He loved her immensely. She was his first love, his first ever sexual excounter.Over the years of grooming, Felicia had turned into an elegant swan. One would not know she was from the slums of Vegas, not even her own children. 

Felicia had a soft spot for Annie. She knew what it was to be an orphan, to be homeless. Felicia had chosen the path of prostitution to survive whilst Annie picked flowers and made beautiful bouquets and sold at the street corners.Annie was smart, beautiful, kind and humble. She had a heart of gold. Felicia admired Annie. She was every mother's wish but unfortunately she had gotten three sons who lusts after money and wealth. 

These values were instilled in them from their own parents. Felicia and Patrick wanted them to be successful and wealthy. They made monsters from mere men. They were groomed to be strategic, cunning and ruthless when it came to business decisions. They would even made marraige a business deal. It was only Peter who had followed his heart, and now he sits in misery. Felicia felt her sons pain.

"Drive home", Patrick ordered his driver.  Felicia was baffled by her husbands lack of emotion but did not question him.