Chapter 8

8

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Harumi stared at the empty casket where he mother's body was meant to be laid to rest. At six years old, she hadn't really quite grasped the concept of death. Sure, she'd missed the occasional festival goldfish flushed forever into the waves of obscurity. But being told her mother was °gone° wasn't something she could easily accept. She had been so desperate to keep her mother from leaving for that flight. Maybe she had angered her mother more than she realized? "Did Mommy leave because I was bad?" She asked, looking way, way up into her father's tear stained eyes. Haru knelt down and, saying nothing at all, squeezed her tight. "Your mother would never and I mean never ever leave you like this on purpose." Katlyn stood in the doorway of the bleak funeral home looking exhausted. Harumi buried her face into Haru's chest then looked up at her estranged grandmother and timidly asked, "How do you know for sure?" Katlyn moved to kneel beside them. "Because she chose you over me. Because I forced her to choose between us..." Kat burst into tears. "This is all my fault and I'm so so sorry I asked her to come back to me, Haru. I just wanted to make amends with what little time I have left." "She wanted to make amends with you, as well. Katlyn, she was so excited to see y--wait. What do you mean with what little time you have left? I don't understand." Kat looked at him with so much regret and sorrow in her eyes that Haru knew he was about to receive another blow to the heart. He wanted to disappear like his wife had in that moment, somewhere safe and quiet and peaceful where no more sad news could reach him. But Kat had waited so long to tell someone of her secret battle that her words rushed out towards Haru before he even had a chance to brace himself. "Stage three lung cancer."