It was a glorious day and the sun shining happily in a cloudless sky just didn’t fit. If anything it seemed to mock the tragic circumstances that brought them all here today.
Walking slowly through the graveyard, Tessa caught Mike’s eye and gave him a little smile. He had come to the funeral without Jenny and seemed a bit lost in the middle of it all. Tessa thought she could understand why Karen couldn’t bring herself to attend, but she wasn’t sure if her friend was doing the right thing.
Laying a loved one to rest was an important part of the grieving process; this she understood from her own experience consoling patient relatives at the hospital. By trying to shut it all out, Karen was simply delaying the inevitable.
Her friend’s decision had been especially unpopular with the Quinn family. Upon hearing that she wouldn’t be attending the service Shane’s older sister was scandalised. Temporarily putting aside her grief, she had launched an all-out attack.
“I don’t know why I’m even surprised,” Barbara spat down the line when Jenny informed them. “Typical of that one – selfish to the end. God forgive me, but the only good thing that’s come out of all this is that she’ll never be part of this family.”
She was an odious person, Tessa thought. At the undertaker’s the night before, Barbara had been close to disrespectful with her carry-on – chatting and gossiping with locals as if at a country fair. Then turning on the tears and wailing like a banshee as soon as the priest arrived. Tessa didn’t doubt that she had loved her brother, but the funeral seemed more of an excuse for a social outing at which Barbara was the centre of attention, rather than the tragic and poignant occasion that it was.
It was a terrible thing to be thinking, especially in present circumstances, but she felt that Karen was well rid of the Quinns.
The funeral procession stopped then, and the crowd began to gather in small groups by the grave opening.
Nellie Quinn was supported on one side by her daughters and on the other, a tall, wiry thirty-something who Tessa figured must be the older brother. Wreaths were laid alongside the coffin and the priest had just begun a decade of the rosary when she noticed murmuring and some additional movement behind the crowd.
Then a tragically frail Karen – her face ashen, and tears streaming down her cheeks - slowly pushed her way through the small gathering, Jenny a couple of steps behind. Tessa felt a lump in her throat as she witnessed her friend’s naked anguish.
Reaching the graveside, Karen bent down and briefly caressed the brass plate atop the coffin bearing Shane’s name.
Then crouching alongside it, she lowered her head and quietly began to wail. A raw and achingly mournful cry that broke Tessa’s heart afresh.
52
After the burial, the funeral party retired to the village pub, where drinks and refreshments were served.
“I’m glad that you managed to persuade her,” Aidan said to Jenny. “We were all so sure that she wouldn’t come.”
“I didn’t have to,” Jenny replied. “Nothing would have dragged her here at first, but when she got up this morning, something had changed. She told me that she had spent all night thinking about it and that she had one last thing to say to Shane.” She glanced toward Karen, who was sitting in the corner of the lounge in gentle conversation with Gerry. “Something to say goodbye properly.”
“Mike’s gone back?” Tessa said, sipping her mineral water. “I noticed him leave earlier.”
She nodded. “He feels so guilty about having to rushoff to London. But there’s no point in his hanging around here – it’s all over now.”
“He’s been terrific with Aidan, you know. I don’t know how he does it, but he has this knack of saying the right thing to people, especially at times like this.”
It was true, Jenny thought. Mike had been a rock all week, to the lads in particular: spending hours with Aidan, Gerry and the others as they reminisced until the early hours, so he would be shattered by the time he got to London for his business meeting.
Since deciding to attend today, Karen had brightened somewhat, but Jenny could already see from her friend’s face that the strain was starting to get to her.
She’d get her back home as soon as an opportunity presented itself, but in the meantime, it was good to have her up out of bed, and amongst friends. Especially since she couldn’t rely on Shane’s family or indeed her own.
Jenny was still smarting from an earlier conversation with Karen’s mum.
“I’m sorry sweetheart, but it’s justimpossiblefor us to get back at the moment. We have a huge American booking this week and well, we already had to keep that week in June free for the wedding. We couldn’t possibly rearrange everything so quickly. Karen will understand, she knows how it is. Tell her we love her very much and we’ll send some flowers.”
Flowers?Jenny knew that Karen’s parents were busy, but what kind of parents would desert their only child at a time like this?
“I’m getting another Coke, does anyone wantanything?” she asked, draining her glass. Then looked up, startled a little as Jack Quinn waylaid her on the way to the bar.
“Jenny, isn’t it?” he said, “I’d just like to apologise for my sister on the phone the other night. She was upset – we all were.”
She stiffened, unable to do anything else but nod. Though at least Jack had the decency to apologise, realising that his sister was out of order in blasting Karen for her decision.
“Barbara can be a little,” he searched for the right word, ‘difficult’ sometimes. But it’s nothing personal.”
“It’s fine, honestly,” Jenny assured him. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Nellie Quinn approach Karen at her table and figured she’d better intervene, just in case.
