Cecilia sat beside her grandfather's coffin. She had no idea the new clothes she bought for her grandfather would be the last set of clothes he would ever wear. Her eyes were red from tears. Their neighbors approached the coffin to pay their final respects. They shook her hands and patted her on the shoulders. Sometime later, Andres approached and sat opposite her. "How are you holding up?" he asked the young lady.
"I would be lying if I said I was fine," She replied, hanging her head as tears began to flow again. "Is this how you felt when you lost Wally? Is it really this painful?"
Andres replied in a soft and understanding voice, "Yes, and to be honest, it only gets more painful as the days go by." Andres transferred to the seat next to Cecilia. "Remember what your grandfather told me? He said that Wally would not want to see me waste my life away." He took Cecilia's hands. "I know your grandfather would not like to see you do what I did. To be consumed with nothing but rage and sorrow."
Seeing that Andres is now wearing clean and presentable clothes, she can't help but praise the man for turning his life around. "How are you nowadays?"
Andres looks at himself and smiles, "Thanks to your grandfather, I was able to realize the truth and clean up my act together. I got my old job back, and Wally's mother and I started talking again!" He happily told Cecilia, "Don't lose hope, child, and don't drown yourself in sorrow; you still have your whole life ahead of you."
Andres patted Cecilia on her back, and before leaving, he paid his final respects to the old man. She continued to cry for a little while until she turned her gaze to the crew of the Twilight. They were given temporary bodies so they could help in the funeral. She then glanced in Chris's direction. Despite the sadness that filled her heart, she was able to manage a smile when he glanced her way.
Her mind was then filled with memories of him
"Thank you,"
"What the, get off of me! You stink, pink!"
"Are you alright?"
"Don't mind me! Just go now…HURRY!"
"Do you regret that decision? To give your freedom away?"
"I would never let any harm befall you,"
She stood up from her seat, glanced at the coffin, "I'll be back, Pops," and headed in the captain's direction.
"Are you sure it's okay that everyone is here?" She asked Chris, "I mean, you even canceled all of the Twilight's voyages."
"It's the least we could do for you," he softly replied. "Wait, where is your grandfather? I haven't seen him since the wake."
"He's at the Twilight, he said he can't bear to see all the sad faces," She explained, "Won't triple-A get angry at you?" she reminded Chris about the archangel.
Chris scoffed and grinned, something she found charming. "Don't worry about that old fart. Besides, I told him I'll pluck his feathers if he doesn't say yes." Cecilia cutely stifled a laugh, something Chris found attractive about her.
Cecilia absentmindedly pushed Chris. The captain, after being shoved, a hint of a mischievous glint appeared in his eyes, and he gently shoved Cecilia as well. This started a simple and cute shoving war between the two. They were so engrossed in their game that they didn't realize their laughter was starting to get loud. "Ehem!" Chief Murillo tried to get their attention, but the two were caught within their little world. "Ehem!" she tried again, and when Cecilia and Chris still had not stopped, "WILL THE TWO OF YOU QUIT IT!"
Chris, Cecilia, and everyone within shouting distance were startled by Chief Murillo's shrill voice. They all looked at her, standing in front of the two, with her hands on her hips. "Just to remind the two of you that this is a wake and not the park," she said with one of her eyebrows shooting up, her voice soft yet stern.
Snapped out of her playful trance, Cecilia said, "I'm going back to my Pops," she awkwardly explained. She waved at Chris and went back to her chair.
Chris crossed his arms across his chest and shot a glare at Murillo. "What?" she snapped at him. The captain snarled at the Chief, shook his head, and walked away.
"Weirdos," She murmured to herself. She then marched towards some crew members fixing the snack tables. "What did I tell you guys, not like that!" she hollered at them.
After the interment, Cecilia was storing away her grandfather's clothes when she saw a lunch box tucked away at the back of his dresser. This was the first time she saw the box; she took it out and opened it. Inside was a bank book and a folded letter. She read the letter that was from her grandfather.
My Dearest Cecilia,
As I sit down to write this letter, my heart is full of love and pride for the incredible young woman you have become. It feels like just yesterday when you were a little girl, full of laughter and light, and yet here we are, twelve years after that tragic day when your parents were taken from us. Since then, I have watched over you as best as I could, though I know the weight of those years has been heavy on your shoulders.
Cecilia, I want you to know something very important. Over all these years, I have quietly saved much of the money I could spare from my medication and daily needs. It wasn't easy, but I did it for one reason: so that you could have the chance to go back to college. I know how much you sacrificed—putting your dreams on hold to care for me after my stroke, working tirelessly when you should have been studying and growing into the life you deserve.
Please believe me when I say that you don't owe me anything. Your love and care have been the greatest gifts I could ever receive. But I want you to use this money to reclaim your future, to chase the dreams that were paused, and to build the life you've always hoped for.
I have always been proud of you, Cecilia, not just for your strength, but for your kindness, your courage, and your heart. You have been my light in the darkest times, and now it's time for me to be your support.
Take this gift with all my love and know that I will always be watching over you, cheering you on every step of the way.
With all my love, Pops.
She burst into tears as she kept the letter close to her heart. After her tears dried up, she locked the doors to the house and ran to where the Twilight was anchored.