***All sexually active characters depicted are of age, 18 years old at least, and, some of what you read may cause distress. Be safe and vigilant!***
It is a sad day at the Cummings' castle, as all are in attendance for a funeral, honouring the long lives of Archibald and Elise Cummings, who recently passed away together peacefully. Many gather to pay their respects: their son, Domhnall, 65, and his wife, Gracie, 56; their eldest granddaughter, Gloria, 38, and her husband, Ray, 62; their youngest granddaughter, Pleasant, 25, and her wife, Frankie, 22; their great-granddaughter, Gabby, 20; as well as those considered as family, Lucy, 44, and George, 48, and Tiffany, 22, and Craig, 21, with their baby daughter, Joy.
The coffins lay side-by-side in the courtyard, with chairs arranged to sit and view them, as the mourners pay their final respects and bid their farewells for the last time.
Gracie stands before everyone, between the coffins, and begins, "We have come today because of our shared history, and shared love, and to help ease each other through this difficult time. Domhnall was set on saying something today, but, as I am sure you will understand, he is not up to it, so, forgive me Elise, but, I will say some words instead," hearing a few sniggers of laughter from the congregation, before she continues, "Many of you know Elise and I weren't particularly close, but, I miss her. I miss them both.
"Domhnall and I owe everything we have to Archibald and Elise, and, I'm not just talking about the castle, or the business, or even that they made and raised my husband into the fine man he is, father to our beautiful children, but, instead, we met, Domhnall and I, through Archibald and Elise. I rode horses in my youth, and we put on shows for the locals, and, Domhnall used to love coming to watch me ride. He would beg Archibald and Elise to let him see me. They arranged us to meet once, and we were very smitten, and adorably awkward, and they allowed us to be.
"Over time, Archibald and Elise welcomed me into the family as Domhnall and I dated. I was won over by how fanciful everything was. It was like living in a fairytale world. The wonder and the magic gave way to hard work, being nurtured into their business, and taught how to assert dominance, and lead with dignity and poise. Those lessons are ingrained into my entire being. It is also those lessons that strained my relationship with Elise. She saw me as too ambitious; perhaps I was. I learned not to argue with her. I am who I am, and, I think she respected that in the end.
"I miss being with Elise. I will never take for granted the time we had, nor grieve any time lost due to our differences. Instead, I will carry everything I learned from her forward, and pass that on to my daughters: Gloria, Pleasant, Frankie, and Tiffany. Tiffany in particular is someone who kindled an optimistic interest from Elise, enterprising as she is, a woman after her own heart, driven and passionate. More than any of us, Elise loved her brief time knowing Tiffany, and, Archibald himself was also impressed by her.
"Archibald and Elise is our past, and Tiffany and Craig are the future of their work. Domhnall and I, so too with Gloria and Ray, acknowledge the completeness of the legacy of Archibald and Elise, with a clear continuity that will extend for generations. Although they have passed on, they are not gone. They are immortalised by our spirit, and our ambitions.
"Archibald fostered a community of commerce because he was driven by his passions of love for Elise, and those passions drove her to repay that with an entrepreneurial interest that blossomed into a thriving and fruitful enterprise. It all started with a shy glance across a town square market. Isn't it just wonderful? If ever there was a lesson to just be humble, but, also, working hard, to not rest on your laurels; of that I am guilty. I admit it.
"Whatever our feelings were, I know only love now, and I understand them both more than they can ever know. It is all I can do to honour them to be as they were," choking up, Gracie struggles to continue, and sits down with Domhnall to grieve with him. She has said what she wanted to say, and that is enough.
After some time for quiet contemplation, the coffins are taken by attendants from the funeral parlour, with everyone following them through to the outer courtyard to be placed into the rear of hearses, ready to leave the castle for one final time.
Most of the guests take their leave, leaving Domhnall, Gracie, Gloria, Ray, Gabby, Pleasant, Frankie, Lucy, George, Craig, and Tiffany with Joy as they make their way to the lounge to sit and relax with a pouring of whiskey or wine as is their fancy, with Pleasant offered a green tea as per her request.
George breaks the silence to ask, "Pleasant, girl, how are you after what happened at the wedding?"
Pleasant feels a little sore from the gunshot wound she suffered a couple of weeks ago, but bravely replies, "I am feeling fine. I am set to make a full recovery, and have a healthy baby. For that, I am very much grateful, and also for Frankie's support throughout my recovery. It was certainly quite the ordeal."
Domhnall speaks up, "Speaking of ordeals, I had a word with the hospital and got Bonnie suspended pending review for what she did to you. The police are asking if you wanted to press charges, but, I leave that decision to you."
Pleasant thinks for a moment, and answers, "No. She really hurt me, and her anger was very much misplaced, but I'm not going to be the one to ruin her life, or her career. Bonnie and Sheena need to decide how they want to continue on their own."
Frankie rests her head on her husband's shoulder, and Pleasant leans her head onto her wife's, as Domhnall decides, "Very well. I shall inform the authorities that we do not want to pursue any action pertaining to Bonnie. You are right. She must decide for herself how things go from here."
Tiffany asks Frankie, "Did you get to talk with Pleasant about what you wanted to talk about?"
Frankie candidly answers, "Yes. We had a good, long chat about everything."
Pleasant confirms, albeit vaguely, "It was foolish of me to not be completely open with Frankie. I didn't want to hurt her. We are on the same page now though."
Tiffany tells them, "That is good to hear. It is nice that things worked out in the end."
Craig checks the time, and says to Tiffany, "We should get ready to go."
Tiffany announces to everyone, "We're sorry to do this on a day like this, but, we still have our honeymoon booked, and we have connections to make."