Stephen steeled his insides and nodded before pa.s.sing to the next person who sprouted much the same sentence as he had already heard. In fact, he had long lost count of how many times he had heard that sentence in the last two hours. There was something about losing a family member that had an incredibly numbing effect, to the point where you felt as if every non-essential interaction earned an auto pilot response.

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Not to mention, he grimaced every time his eyes drifted over to Grandpa's casket. His body was laid out in his best tuxedo, and a peaceful look was painted onto his worn out face. It was a welcome change from the last month of struggle that routinely pa.s.sed the contours of his face: those looks of worry, stress, and pain now replaced by silent tranquility.

Stephen shook his head slightly. Tranquility for him, but grief for the rest of us. Nights were the hardest part, as they had been when his cousin, Danny, past away. From the dark eyes of his mother and grandmother, they were in a similar boat. Even Grace, who had only known the man a couple short months, had a tough time about it. All were testament to how deeply Grandpa had been ingrained into their lives.

After catching up with several cousins who he hadn't seen in many years, Grace slipped in by his side, her hand catching his in a tight squeeze of affection. "Are you okay?"

Stephen nodded, "Yes, but I can't wait to get out of here."

Grace nodded, and her vulnerable face slipped back into a brave, public one as she looked back out upon the crowd at the wake. Stephen didn't have to explain and she already knew. These events were hardest on close family, while most distant family used it as an excuse to socialize and catch up on years lost.

Even most of these faces, he felt like he had seen recently. A good portion of them were at Jack and Sh.e.l.ly's wedding over a month ago. The newlyweds themselves were there as well, recently back from their delayed honeymoon.