Chapter Text
July 21, 2015
One lone woman sits under a green velvet canopy staring at a big hole in the ground. The day was beautiful, bright and sunny with a cooling breeze. A lark was singing sweetly in the huge sycamore tree just behind the looming hole. Watching nothing in particular, she just sits on an oddly formal folding chair draped with a white linen chair cover, like the kind people have at their weddings. It seems oddly out of place next to a fresh grave.
Everyone else had gone. The woman, Elizabeth, was aware that she was expected to go to her Aunt's home for a lunch. Another strange analogy to a wedding; after the church service, let us all gather and eat. Is it a celebration of some sort? Maybe it was for some people. Maybe some funerals and the meal shared with family after the service were a glorious celebration of a life well lived. But this was not one of those kinds of funerals. Today the loss of life was not being celebrated. That’s not to say that the life had not been lived well, on the contrary it had been a wonderful life. Just much, much too short.
Elizabeth looked at the small table set up next to the hole. It held 2 pictures, a gigantic floral arrangement, and a basket with all kinds of cards and condolences. So many empty words about loss and pain and how those she loved would want Elizabeth to keep living and be happy. Well, screw happy. She did not particularly want to be happy right now, maybe ever again. Happy was overrated. Life is pain Highness. Anyone who tells you differently is selling something.
She snorts at such a maudlin thought. And then snorts again remembering that it was a quote from her favorite sappy romance movie, the one with Princess Buttercup and the Dread Pirate Roberts. That movie had been all about how love conquered everything, even death.
Screw that too.
As Elizabeth let her thoughts wonder, she spies the smaller box next to the cards. It holds money. Her mother and sisters had suggested that they ask for donations to a charity that Elizabeth was involved with in lieu of flowers. Of course everyone still sent flowers, but a lot of people also gave money to the charity which was searching for a cure to certain genetic diseases that affect children. It was a nice thought, a wonderful gesture, and Elizabeth was truly grateful that her friends and family gave this one last gift in his name.
Money.
Money was evil. The chasing of money without reason other than to have more was evil. Men with money should be fixing this world not destroying it. Elizabeth hates money. The wanton chasing of money was why she was now sitting on a stupid white chair next to a stupid hole in the ground.
Elizabeth eventually gets up and makes her way back to her car on the narrow road that winds through the peaceful plot of land now holding the last vestiges of her life. Getting in, she starts the engine and then pauses to decide what she should do. The lunch at her Aunt’s house was probably over by now as she had sat alone grave side for more than 2 hours. Going home was out of the question and she didn't really want to go back to her parents' house or even her sister's apartment. She didn't want to go where she would be watched and pitied or even loved. She wasn't super big on love right now.
Something in the passenger seat of her car catches her eye. Nothing had been there when she drove from the funeral home to the cemetery, except her sister. Now in the seat sat her favorite weekend getaway bag, the one with the silly little bird pattern on a soft leather body, which was deceptively big on the inside, but still small enough to fit in the overhead compartment of even the smallest puddle jumper airplane, and a plain white envelope. Not a card envelope, she had opened enough of those in the past 15 days to last a lifetime. This envelope was like the ones that bills come in. There was nothing written on the front so Elizabeth opened it.
Inside is a plane ticket to Paris, the address of a hotel near Montmartre, her passport, and €10,000 cash.
Her oldest sister, Jane, had written a note saying she, and their next oldest sister Mary, had decided to send Elizabeth out of town for a while. She had a one month reservation at the hotel and the return ticket was an open date. Another suitcase packed with enough clothes and toiletries to last forever was in the trunk. Jane had already cleared the extended leave with her boss at the law firm and everything was arranged and paid for. It seems that her large family and numerous friends from work had all pooled enough cash so that she could have a true escape for at least a little while.
Just Go.
There was nothing keeping her here. Certainly she had no responsibilities to anyone else anymore. Her parents and sisters would not blink for one second at her abrupt leaving. She had enough money saved, plus the life insurance money, to live for probably a year without another paycheck. Make that another 2 years if she sold her house and (now) extraneous little sports car that he had loved. Plus, the partner she worked for was already working on the lawsuit against the trucking company which was responsible for this mess. He would take care of everything without her even needing to ask.
Zachary Zabara (known as Zab around the firm) was not a litigator, but he was the best lawyer she had ever known. A lot of associates didn't like working for him because he was exacting and expected perfection. On the other hand, he was extremely well liked by his clients, always going the extra mile and making sure that they had everything they needed, even those things they had not originally known to ask for. So, unlike some of the other partners who were always chasing after new clients to replace the ones who moved on or frantically trying to fix mistakes before they became a problem, Zab had the time to sit with the associates and teach them the trade of being a superbly skilled lawyer. If an associate was patient, generally available, thick skinned enough to not be crushed by a page completely bleeding with red pen, and smart enough to not make the same mistake twice, Zab was the best partner at the firm to work for. Less than 36 hours after the accident Elizabeth had asked him to take her case and she knew it would be done right.
There was truly nothing keeping her at home.
Elizabeth looks at the ticket more closely; it was a non-stop flight leaving in 4 hours. The international airport was about a one hour drive from the cemetery in her little hometown where she had laid her life to rest. If she left now, she would have plenty of time to park in economy, check in, and go through exit customs before the doors closed on the worst day of her life. Without another thought, Elizabeth drove to the airport.