Yvonne, being so young, didn’t understand what Estelle was doing. As she watched Estelle go through the list, she asked in confusion, “Mom, where did Great-grandpa go? Why hasn’t he come back home? And why is his photo black and white?” While speaking, she pointed at the black and white photo of Gary in the mourning hall. It was Gary’s favorite photo, and it captured his authoritative presence.
Estelle was taken aback by Yvonne’s questions and didn’t quite know how to explain the concept of death to the children. After pondering for a moment, she replied in a gentle manner, “Tomorrow, we’ll have a funeral for your great-grandpa. His friends will come to say goodbye to him one last time.”
Upon hearing the last sentence, Yvonne understood that she wouldn’t see Gary again, and tears welled up in her eyes. “Is Great-grandpa never coming back? Where did he go?”
Christina immediately chimed in, “Mom, do you know where Great-grandpa is? Can we visit him?”
Estelle was momentarily at a loss for words. She didn’t want the children to understand the concept of death at such a young age, as it could be too painful. Wanting to shield her teary-eyed daughters from sadness, she consoled them, saying, “We can’t go to see him, but we can always remember him.”
‘Grandpa Gary has passed away and can’t come back to life. Remembering him forever is the best way to show him our love. His kindness will live with us all our lives,’ Estelle thought.
Yvonne and Christina, not fully grasping Estelle’s words, still felt teary-eyed, their eyes glistening with tears.
At this moment, Yohan approached and explained the concept of death to them in a way they could accept, saying, “Great-grandpa has gone to the vast space. He’s turned into a star, so he won’t come back.”
Seeing Yohan taking the initiative, Estelle recalled how Cristofer often handled emotions like this, and she breathed a sigh of relief. She then smiled and added, “Yohan is right. Great-grandpa has become a star, and he’ll watch over you as you grow.”
Upon hearing this, Yvonne frowned and said, “Mom, I want to see Great-grandpa. Can you take us to see the stars?”
Sitting beside Estelle, Christina tugged at the hem of her mother’s clothes, trying to hold back her tears, and said, “Mom, I miss Great-grandpa too.”
“It’s daytime right now. After the funeral tomorrow, I’ll take you to see the stars, okay?” Estelle quickly promised, unable to bear seeing them so upset. “For now, the most important thing is to prepare for Great-grandpa’s funeral. He’s watching us from the sky, and we must make sure everything is perfect for him.”
‘Gary had treated me well when he was alive. All I can do for him is to do my best for the preparation of his funeral,’ she thought.
The next morning, the funeral took place. It wasn’t a grand ceremony, but everyone who should be there had come to support Cristofer, and everyone was dressed in black. Yohan gave each person a white flower, while Estelle gave them a small potted plant.
When one man asked Estelle if the potted plants had any special meaning, she touched the plant’s leaves and explained, “Mr. Hans prepared these plants to thank you for coming to Grandpa Gary’s funeral. Grandpa Gary loved these plants the most when he was alive. He hopes that when you see these potted plants, you can remember him.” She then handed a plant to the man.
The man nodded, accepted the potted plant, and said, “Old Mr. Hans was a good man. I’ll always remember him. I hope Mr. Hans can find peace soon.” He looked over at Cristofer.
Following his gaze, Estelle saw Cristofer seated in his wheelchair, placing flowers beside Gary’s portrait in the mourning hall.
As per Gary’s wishes, the funeral was simple, and his favorite song played in the background. The final part of the ceremony involved paying respects to him. After Cristofer gave a eulogy, everyone lowered their heads to mourn for Gary.
After the funeral, Cristofer retreated to his study and remained there the entire day. He didn’t even come out for dinner. In the evening, Luke brought him some food.
Knowing that Cristofer was in a gloomy mood, Estelle thought it best to leave him be and didn’t disturb him. After dinner, she kept her promise to the children and took them to the villa’s top-floor terrace.
When they saw the spacious terrace, they were amazed and filled with wonder.
“Mom, it’s so beautiful here,” Yvonne exclaimed, looking around with wide, starry-eyed wonder. “Are we closer to Great-grandpa now?”
“Yes,” Estelle said, gently lifting Yvonne and pointing to the bright, star-filled sky. “Look, there are so many stars up there. One of them is your Great-grandpa.”
Yvonne and Christina continued to gaze at the sky, debating which star might be Gary. Hearing their childlike conversation, Yohan, though knowing that people couldn’t become stars, was moved by their sentiment and added, “Mom, Great-grandpa was a good person. He must be the brightest star in the sky.”
Estelle smiled at Yohan’s words and, seeing Christina straining on tiptoe to get a better look at the stars, she gently picked up Christina.
With her feet back on the ground, Yvonne leaned against Estelle’s leg and pulled out as many chocolate balls as she could from her pocket. Then, she held them up high while standing on tiptoe.
Observing her, Yohan reached out to protect her in case she lost her balance and fell. Confused, he asked, “Yvonne, what are you doing?”
“I want to give these chocolate balls to our Great-grandpa. He is so far away from us, and there might not be any chocolate in space,” Yvonne explained, her eyes filled with tears.
Estelle, holding Christina with one arm, gently stroked Yvonne’s head with her free hand and said soothingly, “You’re such a good girl. If your Great-grandpa knew you wanted to give him so many chocolates, he would be happy. But he didn’t like chocolates. You can keep them for yourself.”
Upon hearing this, Yvonne put the chocolates back into her pocket. Her thoughts of Gary made her too sad, and she had lost her appetite for her favorite chocolates. After a while, she couldn’t contain her tears any longer and began to cry loudly. Yohan, standing by her side, patted her back gently and comforted her for a long time until she stopped crying. Then, in a tearful voice, she asked, “Will Great-grandpa come back if I stop eating chocolate?”
Yvonne and Christina didn’t know what death meant, but at this moment, they realized that they had lost their great-grandfather forever. Feeling sad, Christina also sobbed in Estelle’s arms.
Estelle then led the children to sit down on the bench next to her and pacified them. Later, perhaps it was because the children were tired from crying that they fell asleep one by one.