| 81 | You're My Lifeline

[ S E R A P H I N E ]

The sky hangs low. It's windy today. A thick blanket of gray clouds cast a somber hue over the private cemetery. It's a spacious graveyard, one of the biggest here in Montreal.

We're here with Dom's cousins and their families. The kids are running around, giggling and playing with bubbles and some of the flowers. The way they look so happy and carefree tugs at my heartstrings.

Dominico’s cousins gather around the grave with flowers in their hands, their faces etched with grief.

My chest slightly aches every time I steal glances at him. Not a single tear on his stoic face. I don't need him to take off his sunglasses. I just know his eyes are distant, and despite being only inches away from him, I feel the gap between us. We haven't really talked all day. Yesterday, too.

“God, our shelter and our strength, You listen in love to the cry of Your people: hear the prayers we offer for our departed brothers and sisters, especially Dominique Deschanel. Cleanse them o