We stood under an umbrella, trying to shield ourselves from the storm. Against the pounding downpour, the preacher spoke loudly, giving his sermon as Dawn’s small coffin lowered into the ground. I stared at the pink coffin as if I were in a trance. It was her favorite color, Sally shared.
My mind was riddled with shame. I didn’t have a right to call myself a mother. What kind of mother didn’t know her own daughter’s favorite color? Me! I hated myself. Dawn’s death was my fault. My stomach knotted.
At the site, Aidan stood at my left and Jeffery on my right. Dom was on Jeff’s right. With me in the middle, we all huddled as we wept over our loss. A child’s death was something a parent should never have to endure ever!
I spotted Val hanging back at the cemetery’s entrance with several of h
