A solemn celebration

'Happy birthday'

'and a happy New Year!'

These two messages meant so much to me. Especially the order. And the fact that they came from mom first. Laura, Gloria, and Jane wrote me too, even before the year got a minute old. Amber wrote around three minutes after midnight, asking if everything was alright. I simply told her that Em still needs some time and that Klara was consoling her. Later, messages from Beth and Floria came in. Of course, I replied to all immediately. I know I sound a little childish and selfish, but I was happy to be at the forefront of so many people's thoughts.

Em was still drying her tears and blowing her nose. I approached her, as she looked up to me from the slouched position she had from leaning on Klara. She spoke softly, although still trembling: "I still can't really believe it... It feels too soon..."

Klara was a bit nervous, but she still managed to speak: "Uhm, could we sit down somewhere? I don't want to interrupt you but I'm slowly getting tired and can't feel my feet right now."

Em replied in shock: "Oh, sorry..." We all looked around, but there was only a single chair and the patient bed in the room. Em looked disappointed.

"If you want, Klara and I can take turns, Em", I suggested. She hesitated for a bit, but Klara's strain was all too visible. Em let her go, watching Klara barely make it to the chair on the side. Em leaned on me and continued to cry while glancing at her father. She turned to me as if to hug me, but to be more precise, she clasped me, unwilling to let go.

"James... what should I do now?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"I... I don't quite know what to do after this. Where do I go? What will I do? What will happen to me?"

"Em, calm down for a moment. First of all, your daily life won't be all that different soon. You'll just go back to your shop and do the work you've done before. Other than that, you'll have to organize a funeral and visit a notary office to check his will. Those are your immediate tasks after the initial shock and sadness have worn off."

"Th-Thanks, James. I'll keep that in mind, thank you."

"I'll be there to help if you need me, Em. Feel free to rely on me in these difficult times for you."

For the first time since hearing the news about her father, she smiled. "I think we can go now, I've got some business to take care of."

With that, we all headed home again. It was only about a quarter past midnight, so the jubilant music of Em's truck's radio occasionally got interrupted by fireworks. It was awfully dissonant to the mood inside the truck. In our little world, we were all sad or at least empathizing with Em's sadness.

Returning home, we stopped the celebration soon. Amber and Klara decided to stay the night again, this time in my bed. That being said, Klara was so tired she fell asleep as soon as she touched the covers and Amber seemed to have been busy today as well. I hope she managed to have some fun with Christine and Donna.

Emily

I was in the guestroom. Last time Amber and Klara were here, they wanted their privacy, now they invited themselves to James's bedroom. I was hoping to stay with him, have him comfort me in my sleep. But truth be told, I had always known that I wouldn't win. I was not like the others and it would cost me once again. I was tired and stretched my arms. The "engagement" ring glistened in the little light that still entered the room. He didn't even think about the fake engagement. That's how unimportant it probably is to him. I'm sure he realizes that I have an extended family and that my father informed them of the engagement threat. Whether they agree with his offer or not, I have to make a choice whether to attend my father's funeral with or without the ring. Can I show such defiance to his last wish so openly to people he loved and cherished? I don't think I can and I don't think I should, either.

I'm glad Klara was there too. Of course I'm glad James was here too. But having someone else to rely on besides him is good, I don't want to be much more of a bother than I already am in his eyes. He sees me as another costly mouth to feed that he has to feed, lest my father does awful things to me. He ignored the most important question of all! It's not just about our fake engagement, but also about the question of my daily life. I'll have to leave this place, won't I? I'll only be called back when he needs repairs or expansions and when someone else moves in. These are all the times I'll be able to see him in the future. It's probably going to be my final night here and I have to spend it alone. Good training for being alone at home, I guess. Whatever, I'm starting to get tired.

...

It's a new morning, 8AM. It seems like everyone else is still asleep, at least I can't hear them in the living room or kitchen. Let's use the silence to make some phone calls. First for the funeral. Dad wanted it to be in the large cathedral to house everyone of our family, so I'll have to call the phone number of the church he gave me a year ago.

"Hello? Priest Newmil of the Trinton Cathedral speaking?" The priest? Dad just told me to ask the priest? Ugh. I'm sure the man's busy.

"Uhm, hello, my name is Emily Emm. I think you know my father? He has asked me make sure his funeral could be held in your cathedral, so I want to ask when you'd be ready for a funeral procession."

"Oh, my condolences. Yes, I was indeed a great friend of your father, Mr. Emm. When did he die?"

"Last night. He requested an open casket procession, so it would have to be reasonably soon."

"Hm, how about Saturday 3PM? I can get the choir boys out that day." Dad's power and influence seems to transcend even his own ****.

"Alright, I'll inform the rest of my family. Thank you for taking your time."

First phone call done and dealt with, then I called the morgue to tell them about everything. It seems that my father had already picked a casket ahead of time and even paid for it, so there are no sudden expenses. Maybe I judged him too harshly when I saw him blow the money on some hookers a while back.

The last call was to the notary office. They're on holiday, of course, but I told them that I'd like to take care of his will asap. Dad's will... It's the only thing keeping the ring on my finger. I really wish James cared more about me last night. I know he just wants to protect me but it seems to me like he even has little affection for me. I don't want to leave this place, though... Maybe... Maybe I can convince him somehow? To take me in? With everyone else? I don't want to be lonely again and I don't want to pretend to be engaged in front of family members that I see on the regular. The pressure is off now, but I don't want to lose the fun days I had with him and the others. Hell, I'll even call him master if it makes him so happy. I just don't want to be abandoned...

I hear sounds from the living room, it's a song. Wait, a birthday song? What's going on? I quickly get dressed and step outside. Amber, Christine, Donna, Klara, and James all sit at the table, with a cake in the middle, alongside two candles in the shape of a 2 and a 5. Klara noticed me: "Good morning Em. Come join us celebrating James's birthday."

His... birthday? Ugh, now I feel bad. My dad's **** kind of ruined the party yesterday and I feel frustrated with myself because I complained that he doesn't seem to care that much about me, when he went out of his way to console me on his birthday. I don't really know what I'm feeling right now, but it's a lot of diffrrent and complicated emotions at the same time. Am I allowed to be mad he doesn't like me as much as I like him when he sacrifices so much for me? I wish I had an answer to that.

I try my best to act normal. "Sorry guys, I overslept a little and I had to make some calls because of... yesterday."

James interrupted: "It's okay, Em. If you feel uncomfortable, you are free to leave. Everyone deals with the loss of a loved one differently, so don't think too much about my feelings right now. But if you decide to leave, please take a piece of cake with you. I'd like to know how it turned out."

"D-Don't worry, I'm going to stay. I need some distraction right now anyway", I said. And it's true. I quickly grabbed my phone and wrote in the group chat of my extended family to let them know about dad's passing and the funeral date. It was time for my breakfast cake. It was really good. The women at the table complimented his cake, earnestly yet definitely trying hard to please him. I ate it quietly, albeit only because they had jumped the gun and there was nothing left to say.

"Oh, Em... This might not be the right moment, but... I have sent you the money for the bathroom renovation. Take your time with it, if you need it And only if you are able, I'd like it if you could help a person move in on Saturday." The other women were immediately ecstatic. Christine asked: "Oh, someone new? Who is she?" Donna asked: "Do we know her?" Amber simply said: "It's Megan, isn't it? This could be interesting..." James simply nodded to Amber's words. Klara stayed quiet, being unsure how to react.

"If it's in the morning, Saturday works for me. The funeral is at 3PM, so that's a strict limit for me", I informed James. "That's fine, I'll tell Megan to wake up early then", he responded. Klara then brought the conversation to a very different topic: "Hey, do you have something appropriate to wear to a funeral? I don't want to assume, but you seem kind of like a woman who doesn't have an appropriate dress for every occasion. If you want, we can go shopping together tomorrow, I need some more variety in the wardrobe anyway." Thinking back, Klara and I felt a little underdressed, though I was the worst of all of us. "Sure, thank you, Klara."

Amber looked a little jealous, but Klara reminded her of the need to look after the farm animals. I never understand people, why does she get jealous? Not like I'd ever make a move on Klara. In any case, James then interrupted. "Oh, Em... Should I be there with you at the funeral? I'd like it if we could stop afterwards, but if you need me one last time, I won't mind. If you just say later that your father and I put you under pressure to accept a proposal, I'm willing to take the image hit with your family, though I'd like it not to get public, my reputation doesn't need another sinker." I responded honestly: "I'd like to have you at the funeral, but don't worry about the explanation, it'll just be a normal breakup." James responded with a simple "thanks" before the topic of the conversation turned back to the new girl. I spent the rest of the day thinking about what to do to be a part of this group too... Sigh... Well at least I can attach another name to the mailbox for this house. Not like there's anything else to do...