“I understand perfectly.”
I ended the call.
One month later, Thomas passed away.
He died peacefully in the early morning with my hand wrapped around his.
The grief was far greater than I had expected.
We had only spent a few weeks together, but somehow those weeks contained all the love and longing of the fifty-six years we had lost.
The funeral was small.
I stood beside his grave and finally allowed myself to cry.
Raymond attended, of course.
He waited until most of the mourners had left before approaching me.
“You know I’m your only living relative,” he said while adjusting his tie. “Family should manage family matters.”
I said nothing.
“Older people shouldn’t sign documents they don’t understand.”
“I understood everything Thomas said to me.”
Raymond gave me a thin smile.
“I helped Aunt Margaret with all her affairs. She was very grateful.”
A cold feeling moved through me.
