Penelope stared at the TV in a trance. Mrs. Brown had to call her name twice before she responded.
“Would you like to have some soup for dinner?” Mrs. Brown asked from the kitchen.
“Oh, okay,” Penelope replied slowly.
Mrs. Brown walked over and glanced at the TV, which was reporting on the death of the financial giant, with many people attending the funeral.
Mrs. Brown felt a sense of sadness in her heart, too. She sighed softly and said, “When people get old, everyone will have such a day. The Duncan family may not lack money or anything else, but in the end, all they can do is watch their elders leave.”
Penelope gazed at the enlarged picture of old Mr. Duncan on the television, feeling a deep sense of sadness.
Even though they had no personal connection to old Mr. Duncan, they couldn’t help but feel a sense of sorrow. How much more painful must it be for those who were close to him?
She stood up slowly, unable to wait any longer.
“What are you going to do?” Mrs. Brown asked.
“I want to go and see.”
“They must be very busy in the mourning hall. It would be inconvenient for you to go,” Mrs. Brown advised.
“I won’t enter the mourning hall. I’ll just walk around,” Penelope replied.
While she couldn’t alleviate his grief or be there with him publicly, she could still offer her companionship in her own way.
****
Imagination was wonderful, but she had been afraid to enter the door.
After circling the gate of the funeral parlor four or five times, she hadn’t encountered anyone.
Asher chatted with the guests and then saw the woman looking around.
“What are you doing here?” Asher patted her shoulder from behind.
Penelope was startled and then relieved. “I’m glad I found you. I’ve been wandering around for a while!”
“You… want to go in?”
“I know there’s a back door. We can use it to enter. It won’t be a problem,” Penelope clutched his sleeve and hurried towards it.
“Why does it always have to be me? What if we run into my grandmother?” Asher complained.
“I’ll avoid her and stay out of sight,” Penelope reassured him, looking at him nervously, afraid he might refuse to help her.
Asher noticed that she was dressed in black, her hair neatly arranged, and all her jewelry removed. She was truly in mourning.
Asher sighed and said, “I don’t know if Uncle Warren can understand your intentions.” He reached out and gently touched her head.
Without further ado, Asher pulled him to the back entrance. “Let’s go, no time to waste.”
****
The power of love has been said to be quite amazing.
Warren was hosting the people who came to mourn. His friends, business partners, and so on came and went.
This was a society that valued status and wealth. Those who wanted to make friends with the Duncan family didn’t easily let go of this opportunity.
Warren finally found an opportunity to get a drink in the lounge. When he opened the door, he saw a woman who turned around in the room.
“Why are you here?” Warren looked at her in surprise.
Penelope twisted her hands together, clearly nervous. “I came to see you, and you can rest assured because I will leave immediately.”
Looking at her uneasily, he approached her and said, “I’m fine. You don’t have to worry about me.”
“Are you really okay? I know the pain of losing loved ones. You don’t have to pretend to be at peace in front of me.” Penelope looked at him seriously, trying to see a trace of fragility in his face.
Warren paused for a moment. He reached for her ears and said, “Were you sad when you lost your mother?”
“I was sad, and I complained, but I understood her,” Penelope said. “The drugs destroyed my home and took away my mother. But even if she were still alive, she would be too fragile to escape from it. It’s better to have let her go.”
Penelope smiled with some self-deprecation, “I just don’t know if anyone who was using drugs can die and go to heaven. I’m worried.”
Warren reached out and pulled her into his arms, like two pieces of firewood warming each other.
“A lot of people came today and said to me, ‘I’m sorry for your loss.'”
“Um?”
“I like your way.” He pressed her head onto his shoulder and comforted her with his big hand.
“Why do I feel like you’re comforting me?” Penelope rubbed her eyes.
“Comforting you is also comforting myself.” He sighed and held her for a while.
In this situation, it didn’t seem appropriate to laugh, so she shed tears while smiling, hoping that Warren’s father would not blame her.
Warren took a deep breath in her neck and pushed her away gently. He said, “I still have a lot of things to do. I can’t rest now. Asher brought you in, right? I’ll ask him to send you back.”
“Well, I won’t bother you, but you must take good care of yourself. Don’t stay up too late,” Penelope reminded him.
“I’m strong, so it won’t matter if I stay awake for a few nights,” he said as he tucked her hair behind her ears. “It’s also the last thing I can do for my father.”
Penelope held his wrist and ran her fingers over it.
She looked into his dark eyes, noticing the weariness that showed. She could easily guess what he had been feeling these days.
“By the way, my father will be buried tomorrow. If you’re okay, you can come,” he urged her.
“Can I?”
Warren looked at her stomach and said, “I want our baby to meet his grandfather.” before he is buried.”
Penelope’s eyes turned red, but she didn’t want to cry in front of him, so she quickly covered her face with her hands.
“I’ll definitely go,” she said, wiping away her tears.
“It’s cold in the mountains; remember to dress warmly.”
“I know.”
Warren escorted her to the door, where Asher would take her back.
Asher looked at her eyes and asked, “You cried?”
“You should focus on managing your own swollen eyes,” Penelope replied, pulling out a tissue to blow her nose.