I remember staring at my phone long after reading Peter\u2019s message. Something came up? At his father\u2019s funeral? And Celia hadn\u2019t replied at all. I knew her well enough to guess she was busy with brunch, yoga, or some trivial pursuit she had prioritized over saying goodbye. The wind rattled the stained-glass windows, and I could almost hear George\u2019s voice in the silence, sharp and amused: \u201cLooks like I\u2019m going to have to keep you company myself, dear.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked down at my hands, the rings heavy, grounding me to the reality of being utterly alone. The chapel wasn\u2019t just empty of people\u2014it was empty of apology, of acknowledgment, of gratitude for the man who had given so much. I took a deep breath, standing slowly. I could let this be the moment I crumpled, or I could make it the moment I decided that George\u2019s memory wouldn\u2019t vanish quietly with these absent children.<\/p>\n
I walked up to the casket, fingers brushing over the polished mahogany. \u201cYou see, George,\u201d I whispered, \u201cthey might not be here, but I am. And I will tell them who you were, even if they refuse to remember.\u201d The lilies\u2019 perfume burned my nose as if it too were angry at the empty chairs. But I didn\u2019t care. I would carry this man\u2019s life forward, even if I had to do it alone.<\/p>\n
Then, from somewhere near the back, I heard a soft creak of a chair. My head snapped up. A shadow moved in the doorway\u2014not Peter. Not Celia. But someone. Someone unexpected. And in that moment, I realized I wasn\u2019t entirely alone.READ MORE BELOW<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I remember staring at my phone long after reading Peter\u2019s message. Something came up? At his father\u2019s funeral? And Celia hadn\u2019t replied at all. I knew her… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10093,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10092","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n