When it came to the afternoon, Egen came to the shop and Yara left to take the samples to Madam Salome. It was more than an hour's journey, but there were no carts to drive her there. Yara waited for over two hours before getting a cart.
She arrived at Madam Salome's shop just as the sun was beginning to set. Madam Salome was still at the shop. When the eyes of the two met, there was excitement between them and joy and laughter. They greeted each other warmly, and Madam Salome asked Yara to sit down.
"It's been long, my daughter," Madam Salome said, pointing a teasing finger at Yara, her eyes lit with a smile across her face.
"Thank you, Mom. I had also wanted to visit you so much, but I was busy with work."
"Hosea...!" Madam Salome called to her son. Yara had opened the basket, and Madam Salome was going through the designs, holding one in each hand and comparing which was better.
"Hosea! Hurry up here!"
Hosea was Madam Salome's one and only child. He was in his mid thirties, about 6.5 feet tall, a little extra in size, and well groomed.
"Ma, what is it?" Hosea asked as he walked in. He looked briefly at Yara, greeted her, and continued on to his mother.
"Which of these designs do you think would be good for the men's section?" Madam Salome asked, picking up more designs from the basket and handing them to him.
"I think all these blue ones are good," Hosea replied, his eyes fixed on the dark blue designs.
"Then it means we'll take all these designs," Madam Salome said to Yara, and they both laughed. Shortly after, Hosea served tea, and it was getting darker. The sun had dipped below the horizon, and Madam Salome asked Hosea to escort Yara to the guest house. Yara had already informed Madam Salome that she had accommodation at Mr. Shimali's guest house.
The two walked out of the shop and strolled silently for a while before Hosea initiated a conversation.
"So, do you plan on staying in the clothing business, or will you venture into something else?" Hosea asked Yara, eyeing her briefly from the corner of his eye as he caught a whiff of her perfume, a scent that smelled like apple mint.
"I don't know for now. I guess I'll find out later. What about you?" Yara asked, her gaze fixed ahead as she clasped her hands together, then let them hang.
"Hmmm, I don't know either. I'll just have to find out soon what's in store for me," he smiled, leaning slightly toward her to catch more of that scent.
They chatted a little more before reaching the guest house. Hosea walked her up to her room and wished her a good night.
Just as the moon appeared across the sky, Zera arrived at the house gate with the funeral crew Atur had paid for to escort her back home with the body.
The priest, who had arrived a few minutes earlier, stood up to comfort Zera. Lode, Moze, Egen, Walda, and a few close relatives were around. Word quickly spread that night about Lelvin's death, and many people came to mourn.
Early in the morning, burial preparations began. Lelvin's body was not in the right condition to be kept long, so the burial had to be done sooner. As the casket lay in the living room and other mourners helped with chores, Yara walked into the compound. The sun was rising, and she had asked neighbors outside what was going on at her house, but none had answered, out of fear of breaking her heart.
She walked straight into the living room, up to the casket, and looked into the front opening.
Yara closed her eyes, breathed in deeply, and let out her breath through her lips. A faint smile escaped from her lips, and her eyes rested on Lelvin's forehead, where a mark of injury remained. Yara moved her hand to touch Lelvin's shoulder and whispered,
"I will always miss you. Thank you for being a wonderful aunt."
Tears welled up in her eyes. Yara walked out and sat near the fence, her mind replaying the dreams and visions she had seen in the days leading up to Lelvin's death.
"I thought you were smart enough to send her off until tomorrow, but instead you had to make her come back today," Zera murmured to Walda and glanced sharply at Egen before flashing a smile at her cross.
"I thought she would sleep over again at the guest house. I guess Hosea was so dumb," Walda replied, folding her hands on her lap as she looked at Zera.
"Good one you played," Zera smirked.
After the burial rituals were done and the funeral finalized, all the properties Lelvin had inherited from her father and Zera were transferred to Walda by the priestmaking Moze next in line for inheritance.