5
I put Kevin in charge of everything for the
funeral.
I was basically sleep–deprived for a year, so I
spent two days catching up on sleep.
I arrived at the funeral on time.
Following the map Kevin gave me, I twisted
and turned until I reached the cramped
chapel.
It was hot and stuffy, packed with guests who
were sweating and impatiently waiting.
My in–laws looked miserable, avoiding eye
contact.
I squeezed through the crowd and stood next
to them.
My mother–in–law saw me and glared, raising
her hand to strike.
This time, I was ready. I grabbed her arm,
pushing her back hard.
She lost her balance and foll wincing in pein
She lost her balance and fell, wincing in pain.
Tears welled in my eyes and I started to rant,
“Mom, what are you doing? Do you have to
demean me in front of my dead husband?”
The room went silent.
My mother–in–law scrambled to her feet.
“Demean you? You’re the one who’s
demeaning my son! My son was a successful
CEO! What is this place? You have no shame,
but we do!”
My father–in–law was fuming. “This is
outrageous!”
I sniffled, choking back tears. “I’m so sorry,
you’re mistaken. This was Kevin’s decision.
He said there weren’t any important people.
く
The room exploded with chatter.
“Ha! We took time off work to come to this
funeral, and it turns out he thought of us like
we are trash!”
“What the hell, I even lent him money back
when he was first starting out.”
“I guess he’s too good for us, now that he’s
the big boss.”
My father–in–law was starting to lose it.
“That’s not true! My son wouldn’t do that!”
I glanced subtly at Kevin.
Kevin immediately stepped forward. “It was
Mr. Evans‘ decision.”
く
Kevin was Kevin’s dog. No one would doubt
what he said.
My in–laws were at a loss for words.
The room roared with complaints, some of
the guests were even getting up to leave.
That’s when I faced the crowd and gave a
deep bow. “I apologize on Kevin’s behalf, I
hope you’ll all bear with it. After the funeral,
I’ll personally give you all some compensation.
Please!”
Kevin’s reputation could be ruined, but not
the company, and definitely not mine.
The guests calmed down.
“Oh, well. Since Mrs. Evans has said that. I
can wait.”
“What Mrs. Evans? That’s Ms. Evans, I
remember that she was the one who founded
the company with Kevin.”
“I think Kevin was just a puppet, it was Leah
who held the company together.”
The tide was turning.
I straightened up. “Let’s begin.”
The funeral began in an orderly manner, but
the atmosphere was strange.
No one was crying, no one was upset. The
memorial service at the end was mostly
empty.
<
I gave Kevin, lying still in his coffin, a cold
look and turned away, not wanting to see him
anymore.
The funeral was about to end. I was about to
give the guests their goodbyes, when a cold
voice broke through the crowd.
“Please hold on a moment, everyone. There’s
something I need you all to bear witness to.”
Stacey Moore walked in, wearing black with a
white flower. Her lawyer walked in behind her,
carrying Kevin’s will.
I barely turned my head, my heart beating
with excitement.
The show was about to begin!
<
