There was some mist and the sky was grey, but they sky is always grey in the coast in May. Sometimes it takes too long to cover that and it seemed that now and then it would be useful to half a humid earth sort of waterfall, much of the pain comes from watching the slow filling of the whole. It was nice when the sea breeze threw one or two yellows leaves on the ceremony.
- Do you know where are we suppossed to meet them? asked Ian
- I think we will have to commute, he's not being buried here -answered Victor.
- We'll never make it -Ian sighed
- No, we won't, I hate when we have to follow Dan's stupid directions, he never knows anything.
He did knew quite a lot of things, the problem was that little did he know about where he was. The sun was making them swet from behind the layer of grey sky while they were heading towards somewhere. They stopped to enter in a small store to buy something to eat.
- He says now we should commute and wait for his call, said Victor
- Sounds vague, but it's better than staying in the city, where he is certainly not being buried.
In the bus they ignored the people around them and sat at the back,
- I hate so much that all the shit, it always happens to her, said Ian
-It's really annoying, answered Victor
-and absurd, ridiculous above all, how come these all happened, I mean I know about people starving, but, I don't know, what am I trying to say in the first place...
Aine did not cried much, she felt her mother was suppossed to do it, if not all at least most of it, she looked at Dan and smiled at him for one second. He smiled back but he knew that she felt the unwilling patronising expression of his face, the guilt and paternalistic sorrow of the one who is not suffering. He looked down to the earth once again and lifted his hands to his lips scratching the dry skin out of them, he did not want to look at her again, to show her the same expression, so he fixed his eyes on the wet brow chunks of earth mesmerised by little pieces of roots and grass in them, he cared so much about her.
Her mother had a big yellow rose firmly clutched between her fingers which Aine knew she would not throw it and she would keep it as an amulet of the loss, of that the, and she would put it next to some many other charms of sorrow that Aine would watch every time she would enter at her mother's bedroom to tell her that dinner was ready. She put her head on her mother's shoulder.
They waited in what seemed to be the town's main bus stop, and waited until Dan called them and said that the service was about to finish, that they should hurry now and Victor replied with some yelling. They asked a man that was passing near if the churchyard was too far, he answered that it was very near indeed, he did not seem very sure, they took the bus. The churchyard was on the top of a not that nearby hill. When they got there they saw Aine, Dan and the rest of the people on the service coming out of the churchyard. They hugged each other, Victor insulted Dan a little bit and Aine said goodbye to her mother; she did not seem to notice Aine much.
- How are you? sounds stupid but
- I am, I'm fine, it's fine now, it's how long you know,
-I know
They went to Dan's apartment to have lunch, this time Aine did not cook, and the other three managed to put some ingredients together.
- So Aine, would you like some fajitas then? said Dan
Ian's face twitched at the little solemn name of what they where about to eat.
-Sure, but without meat
- It's been a year since the last time we were all together, said Ian automatically feeling stupid since we involuntarily attract attention to the reason of why they were all together again.
-Yes, thank you for all this -said Aine
-it's just fajitas, said Victor humbly
Ian's face twitched again
Dan suggested a long walk, they agreed and went down to the beach. Aine borrowed some green plastic flip flops from Dan, she was still wearing her smart black dress and high heel black shoes. On the way to the beach the played kicking some rocks and empty tins annoying some people in the street and on the shore they collected some seashells, looking for the perfect one whatever that meant, thay sat to see the sunset, they knew it was pointless, it was really cloudy. They made small tunnels on the sand and had the intention of building a castle. They forgot the castle idea after some minutes and went to the city centre.
- It's a pity that we are now aheading to the city centre now, said Aine
-Why? asked Ian
- Because there is the train station.
The city ligths were not particularly attractive, they were rather messy, old and a bit dusty. Aine put her shoes on once again in a bus stop and they continued walking until they reached the train station. It was noisy with trains arriving and departing, and polite apologetic announcements.
- That's mine, 20:30 service.
She hugged them all
- You do know we love you, right? -said Victor
-Yes, I do and that makes me happy
- I hope we'll see you soon, or more often at least -said Ian
-I hope I'll see you soon, thank you for the walk and for the fajitas.
