Never would I have expected that that would be the last time I saw her.
When we got in the car, Ashton took my hand in his, his warm hand soothed me. I glanced sideways at him and said weakly, “That kid, I…”
“You did your best!” He patted me and said comfortingly, “Don’t blame yourself. You did what you could, so just leave the rest in the hand of fate. The child came and left this world as a pure person, and this is probably the best way out for her. that she left. It’s the people who are left behind that suffer the most.”
Yeah, those left behind without seeing any hope in life are the people who suffer the most.
Sasha’s parents were already waiting when we arrived at the airport. Their hair had turned white, and their faces were now covered with wrinkles and vicissitudes of life since I last saw them. Looking at the two of them made me heartbroken. They had gone through so much suffering and even had to deal with the passing of their own child and even their grandchild. Most people could never imagine the number of distressing events they had gone through in their lives.
When they saw us, Sasha’s mother, who probably had cried her tears dry, looked at me with a dry smile. “Mrs. Fuller, we’ve troubled you too much. We can never repay your kindness in this lifetime.”
I shook my head slightly and looked at her. “Mrs. Brooks, don’t overthink this. Come, get in the car!”
Sasha’s father was not a man of many words. Thus, he remained silent throughout the ride as he hugged Renee’s urn tightly. The sight caused tears to well up in my eyes.
As we headed toward Woodhills Cemetery, I noticed that the couple’s faces were both filled with exhaustion, most likely because they had not rested well in a long time.
I had originally wanted to take them to eat something first, but judging by their expressions, they probably could not stomach anything. I sighed softly and gave up that thought.
Woodhills Cemetery was the largest cemetery in K City, in which a small area of land already cost tens of thousands. When we arrived, the elderly couple got off the car and walked over to a burial plot that they had bought.
Ashton and I merely followed behind them as they walked. Shane’s gambling addiction had caused the family to lose most of their relatives, and since Renee was also ill, the two elderlies were the only people present to send Renee off.
The lonely, empty funeral neither had a stream of people coming to see Renee off nor any flowers. Only the two empty-handed elderly were there.
Unable to stand it any longer, I looked at Ashton and said, “Can you get the funeral home to send over some funeral items for children? It’s Renee’s last journey, so we should let her go happily.”
Although I did not know if ghosts or gods truly existed in the world, I knew that Sasha’s parents had spent all their money just to treat the child’s illness. They wanted to give her the best, but reality forced them to bid their farewells in such a miserable way.
Ashton nodded in reply and walked off to make a call.
The staff at the cemetery registered Renee’s burial site, he noticed that there were only two elderly people and got slightly shocked but did not probe any further. Perhaps he had gotten used to such a sight since he was working in a place full of sorrowful parting. He had seen too many families having to part and was used to the ways of the world.
Soon, the staff at the funeral home had arrived and proceeded with the burial processes and customs. Reluctant to let Renee go, Sasha’s mother looked at me with her eyes full of hesitation instead.
I gave her a slight smile as I comforted her, saying that everything would be fine as long as the child left peacefully and comfortably.
Even though the burial was only for a child, the sky had already darkened by the time the funeral ended. Sasha’s father squatted in front of the small grave, his face full of pain and desolation.
Sasha’s mother then raised her hand to wipe away the tears in her eyes and said, “My dear, let’s go home. Renee will keep Sasha company now. They won’t be lonely!”
Not good with words, the old man simply wiped away his own tears before he replied, “That’s good. At least the mother and the daughter can be together without us being a burden to them. They’ll be able to live well.”
When we left, the elderlies were too embarrassed to take our car back and insisted that they would wait for a taxi. However, as the cemetery was far from the city and the sky was already dark, Ashton and I did not want to let them wait alone.
Seeing that we were still keeping them company while they waited, the elderly couple sheepishly got into the car, thanking us the whole way back.
When we arrived at the urban village, Sasha’s mother said, “Thank you for sending us back. The village roads are narrow, so it’s not easy to drive in. Thanks so much for today. You can drop us off here, and we’ll walk in ourselves.”
Ashton had originally wanted to drive in, but the car could not squeeze through the road indeed. Thus, we could only stop the car and let the couple walk in by themselves.
As he watched the two white-haired elderly walk down the narrow dirt road, Ashton asked, “Have they always lived here?”
I paused for a moment, then shook my head slightly. “I’m not very sure. I think Joseph mentioned to me that Shane had gambled away their house. After that, Sasha rented another house somewhere. I think it is probably the one here.”
