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Meg sat staring out the window of Olivier’s car for the duration of the drive to the cemetery. Her silence kept him glancing back and forth at her with a worrisome look on his face. Not even a sob escaped her lips, and the heavy breathing he observed from her chest made him wonder what was going through her mind.
The cemetery was fifteen minutes away from Jeanne’s house, and the environment was quiet and peaceful. When Olivier stopped the car and turned off the ignition, Meg turned to look at him. Her eyes were watery, and one blink would cause the tears to start flowing. He was not sure what he could say to make her feel better— he wasn’t sure of what was said between her and Jeanne.
“I’ll wait here and let you go talk to Ernie,” he said hoping that would help somewhat.
Meg nodded and gave him a little smile before she pulled on the lock and exited the car. As she walked towards Ernie’s grave, she breathed deeply in and out to get her breathing back to normal. The sight of other graves made her think about all the family she had lost back home in Jamaica, her life now without Ernie with a baby on the way, and what Jeanne had just said to her.
She felt hopeless.
She stood in front of Ernie’s grave, and stared down. The sight of dead flowers only caused her tears to flow. She fell to her knees and wept aloud.
“How will I make it without you, my sweet? Your smile was always like sunshine to me. I need your strength for this baby, Ernie.” She sighed. “Would you believe what your mother said to me? She said I killed you, that I am carrying a bastard and that I was no good for you.”
Silence surrounded her, not a rustle of leaves from the nearby trees, or the chirping of birds. This made her tears flow even harder. No response, no Ernie. Meg leant against the headstone, wrapped her arms around it and closed her eyes.
“I miss you Ernie, please come back to me. I don’t know what to do anymore. Everyone I care for is all gone.” She blinked back the tears. “I want our child to grow with joy and laughter, not sorrow and pain.”
After about twenty minutes, the wind began to blow sending leaves everywhere. Meg kept her eyes closed, even as she felt something wet hit her cheek. She didn’t want to be away from Ernie or the place where his body lay.
“Meg!” Olivier shouted, rushing towards her.
She did not move.
He squatted down next to her the moment he approached her and pried her hands away from the headstone before she opened her eyes to take notice of the rain.
“Come on; let’s go before you get soaked.”
Meg wrapped her arms around Olivier’s neck as he scooped her up in his arms and then made a dash towards the car. By the time they made it to the car, the rain began to pour harder. Once inside, Olivier quickly switched on the heater to keep them warm.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
“No.”