Looking at his grandfather, Finnick wanted to tell him all about his struggles. However, Samuel had already passed on.
Finnick would not be able to see him ever again.
A final teardrop fell from Finnick’s eyes and slipped down his face. It was the last tear that he would shed. Finnick vowed that he would never cry again.
He then walked out, leaving the policemen to do their job. When the policemen were done, Finnick and Vivian cleaned up Samuel’s body and changed him into a fresh set of clothes.
He planned to bury Samuel the day after tomorrow.
In the period leading up to Samuel’s funeral, there were many instances where Finnick was so tired that his vision became blurry. However, he persisted since he knew that his grandfather had not had his burial yet, he did not let himself collapse so easily.
The elderly always say that one had to return to their roots. They would be safe only when they were buried in the soil.
Thus, Finnick intended to go against the norm and not cremate Samuel’s body. Instead, he would buy a coffin that fit the burial rituals.
Vivian agreed with his decision. All that mattered to her then was that Finnick could overcome all this soon.
Samuel had already left for a better place, going to heaven. Finnick was the only one who would remain in this world, sad and in pain.
As Vivian looked at Finnick’s gaunt face, she was heartbroken but held her tears back.
At the funeral two days later, Finnick personally dressed Samuel before laying him to rest in his coffin. Many people came to mourn for him, all dressed in black.
When the funeral came to an end, they buried Samuel in a place with beautiful scenery.
Although his place of burial was far from downtown, Samuel would like the place. It was very quiet and would be suitable for him to rest in peace.
Finnick looked at the photo on Samuel’s tomb with a solemn expression on his face. He was different from the Finnick of the past. He now also carried an air of matureness, capable and experienced.
However, this made Vivian heartbroken.
Only after experiencing hardships would a person’s personality transformed in such a manner. It was easy to imagine how much Finnick was affected by Samuel’s death.
Vivian stepped forward and took Finnick’s hand in hers, hoping to give him some warmth.
Sensing her intentions, Finnick squeezed her hand before letting go.
He moved forward, uncaring of how others were looking at him, and kneeled in front of his grandfather’s grave. Staring at the photo of Samuel, Finnick suppressed his pain as best as he could, though his eyes never left Samuel’s face.
Vivian simply watched Finnick without obstructing him. Larry also stood to the side, accompanying Finnick.
As the sky slowly darkened, only their family of three remained before Samuel’s grave. However, Finnick still had no intention to leave.
Vivian moved to grab his hand in hopes that he would finally agree to go. After all, they were on a hill. The sky was already dark and there was nowhere nearby for them to stay the night.
Once it became completely dark, wild animals might appear. Then, it would no longer be something that they could handle.
Finnick avoided Vivian’s hand, then turned to her expressionlessly. He said, “You can go first. I want to stay here a little longer and spend more time with Grandpa. I’ll be back tomorrow morning at the latest.”
Looking at how much pain Finnick was in, Vivian understood that there was nothing wrong with him wanting to stay a little longer. After all, he had just lost Samuel.
Vivian lit a fire to prevent wild animals from approaching, before she held Larry’s hand and left.
Back at home, Vivian got in bed with Larry. She knew that her son would be upset if he had to sleep alone after experiencing the event of that day.
As soon as Larry got under the covers, he threw himself into Vivian’s arms and cried.
He had wanted to cry the entire time but remembered Finnick telling him that men should not cry.
Thus, Larry had been suppressing the pain in his heart the whole time.
Since Finnick was not there and he was able to feel Vivian’s warmth, Larry released all of his resentment then.
Only Larry understood exactly how shocking it was to have witnessed someone dying in front of him. It was not something that even Vivian could empathize with.
