The funeral band\u2019s slow, melancholy melody blended with the steady drizzle on the corrugated metal roof. The yard\u2019s center included a gold-painted casket on two solid wooden seats under an improvised cover. Rows of black mourners with umbrellas dripping rain sat around it, heads lowered. Grief was as heavy as damp air.<\/p>\n
That coffin held Elena, 25, who died too young.<\/p>\n
Elena has been the Carter family\u2019s heart since she married. She treated her in-laws like her parents\u2014kind, humble, and polite. She never considered a task or act of love too minor. Her mother-in-law, Helen Carter, proudly told neighbors, \u201cA daughter-in-law like Elena is a blessing you only receive once in a lifetime.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now she was gone.
\nElena died during childbirth. Preterm labor, they said. The ache was sudden\u2014late one night, she grasped her stomach and toppled over. Her husband Louis rushed her to the hospital, but the doctors were late. Their baby never cried, and Elena never opened her eyes.<\/p>\n
News made Helen faint. Louis stared at the hospital wall in silence, as if his world had ended. Even more than his wife, he buried part of himself that night.<\/p>\n
Elena\u2019s dazzling grin was trapped in time in the coffin lid shot. Her eyes glittered like she was laughing softly, alive. Her body lay lifeless in the casket, and the house that had once laughed with her was now silent.<\/p>\n
Carry her to her final rest.
\nEight muscular young men lifted the casket. They braced and bent down to lift it. Nothing happened.<\/p>\n
They tried again. Still nothing. The gold-painted box remained still.<\/p>\n
The puzzled guys bent again, straining, red-faced, and flexing. However, the casket felt grounded.<\/p>\n
A murmur sounded among mourners. Whispers spread rapidly. An older neighbor groaned and shook his head. \u201cShe\u2019s not ready,\u201d he whispered. \u201cHer soul remains. She\u2019s not done.\u201d<\/p>\n
After standing calmly near the canopy, the shaman moved forward. His palm was on the coffin as he whispered. He raised his voice so everyone could hear.<\/p>\n
\u201cOpen the casket,\u201d he said. \u201cShe has something to say.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gasped Helen. \u201cNo, we can\u2019t.\u201d But something deep inside her stirred. Motherly instinct. Mother-in-law love.<\/p>\n
Shaking, she approached the casket. Her voice cracked as she urged, \u201cOpen it. \u201cPlease. Whatever she has to say, we must listen.<\/p>\n
Latch opened. Lifting the lid creaked slowly.
\nThere were gasps.<\/p>\n
Elena looked still but oddly alive. Her eyes were half-closed and her long lashes moist, like she had cried. Two shiny tears ran down her pale cheeks. In death, she cried.<\/p>\n
Helen kneeled beside the coffin, holding Elena\u2019s chilly hand with both. Her sobbing rocked her.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy child\u2026my sweet Elena,\u201d she whispered. \u201cWhy are you crying? What load accompanied you till death? Please inform us of any remaining questions. I implore\u2026<\/p>\n
Shocked, the yard fell silent. Rain appeared to pause its breath.<\/p>\n
An abrupt sound blasted through.
\nSobbing.<\/p>\n
Raw, broken. Heart-wrenching.<\/p>\n
Everyone watched Louis. The husband. The man who had never sobbed publicly until now.<\/p>\n
He was on his knees on the cold, muddy ground, his hands covering his face, sobbing like torrents.<\/p>\n
Helen turned to him, shaking. \u201cLouis? Its what? Did you hear her? My son, what is it?<\/p>\n
Louis slowly looked up. He had red, swollen eyes and tears on his face.<\/p>\n
He coughed out, \u201cI\u2026 I did this.\u201d It was my fault. \u201cShe died with a broken heart because of me.\u201d<\/p>\n
The audience gasped. Helen hid her mouth in shock. Shocked, neighbors leaned closer.<\/p>\n
Louis swallowed hard, his voice raspy. On that night, she discovered my relationship with someone else.<\/p>\n
More gasps. The rain persisted.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe did not scream or fight. She simply looked at me. She wailed holding her stomach. All night. She remained silent. I informed her of my breakup, stating that I didn\u2019t mean it. I was too late.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shoulders shook. Broken words came from him.<\/p>\n
She hurt later that night. Although I took her to the hospital, it was too late. The baby and she were lost.\u201d<\/p>\n
He hid his face in his hands. I apologize, Elena. Sorry, so sorry. I never deserved you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
The audience froze. No one spoke. Even the trumpeter stopped.<\/p>\n
Shocked, Helen recoiled. Her voice was almost a whisper when it came.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh my god\u2026 Elena, my daughter-in-law I failed to safeguard you. \u201cI didn\u2019t see your pain\u2026<\/p>\n
Crawling toward the coffin, she laid her head beside Elena\u2019s lifeless face. My child, forgive me. Forgive us both\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Louis approached, carefully holding the coffin edge. I understand your anger at me. You should. You can despise me, Elena. I\u2019d comprehend. Please allow me to take you home. Let me carry you to rest. Please\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
A moment passed without action.
\nUnder gray sky and with all eyes staring, the casket trembled slightly.<\/p>\n
The shaman nodded earnestly. \u201cShe let go.\u201d<\/p>\n
8 young lads approached again. This time, the casket lifted easily\u2014almost lightly.<\/p>\n
As light as air.<\/p>\n
The melancholy trumpet resumed, as the procession slowly approached the road. As Elena was executed, mourners bowed and parted solemnly.<\/p>\n
Louis stayed on his knees, tears mixed with rain on his cheeks. He stayed put. He couldn\u2019t. He could only repeat her name in hopes that her soul would hear.<\/p>\n
After that, Louis never remarried. All his possessions except the modest house where they resided were given away. He filled Elena\u2019s former room with her photos, journals, and favorite flowers to memorialize her.<\/p>\n
He kneeled at her grave every anniversary, muttering apologies and bringing sunflowers, her favorite. He sometimes thought the breeze touched his face like her fingers.<\/p>\n
Helen changed too. The proud matriarch softened and quieted. She joined a bereaved parent support group and helped new mothers by providing a food, a listening ear, or a place to grieve.<\/p>\n
They never forgot the woman who brightened their lives.<\/p>\n
They gazed up every time it poured, wondering if Elena was crying again or letting go one tear at a time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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