To Love A Criminal

FOURTY THREE

"It sucks that the twins can't be here for his funeral." Sarah mutters.

"It's safer this way." Adam says

"Oh I forgot, our selfish brother has messed shit up." She sighs. "Who are these people by the way? Where were they when the auto shop was going under? No, wait, they didn't want to be associated with us." Sarah scans the hall filled with hypocrites before facing front and sinking into the bench.

"Everyone in this town is full of bullshit is no surprise there." Adam says adjusting is tie.

Beth sighs looking at the closed coffin placed on a platform near the alter. "Ignore them, today is for Jacob and that's all that matters."

Adam turns to see the people coming into the church. His eyes move to Gianna who's at the entrance wearing all black, welcoming people and handing out the order of service. "She's really out doing herself." He comments.

"To be honest, I'm glad Jacob brought her to our home." Sarah mutters.

She has been horrible to Gianna at the beginning, but she's starting to gravitate towards her. Besides, she's good for Nico.

Nico walks into the church in a black suit, which he had contemplated wearing. It's Jacob's and he feels weird in it.

Gianna hands him the order of service and he mutters. "Thank you,"

She smiles.

They haven't talked much since he killed someone in front of her. She's been busy making sure everything is perfect for today and he- well he has been trying not to hit rock bottom. And he can't get fucked now because there's no Jacob to pick up the pieces for the rest of the family members.

Nico walks up to the church bench where is siblings are seated and he attempts to sit behind them when Beth catches him, "What are you doing?" She asks with an eyebrow raised.

"Um- I...." Unable to make a sentence.

"Come sit with us dummy." She gestures at the sit close to her.

~~~~

"Uh I-" Gianna looks down at her checklist like she's reading something off it. She rests her hands on the podium before speaking into the microphone. "Not many of us can say we have met a genuinely good person in this life time but I have, and that's Jacob Bailey. He took me into his family no questions asked. He knows how to make a place feel like home."

She looks up to the people attentively listening to her. "He was more of a brother to me than my brother ever was. And before he died he tried to perform a brotherly act. I wish I can tell him..."

Her eyes move to the front sit where his siblings are seated, but her eyes are locks with Nico's. "I'm going to be fine." She wants to add the words "with him". But with Nico's small smile, she knows he gets what she wants to say.

She clears her throat. "I'm going to invite his siblings to say a few things about Jacob."

~~~~

"These last few years, my family had undergone some changes. Mum died, my brothers - well, one was in jail and the other skipped town, my sister was becoming a mother but not Jacob. He remained, no chance changes at his end but now that I think about it,"

Sarah pauses looking directly at Nico, "Is not because he's a loser with about ambitions. He is because he's a great brother who wanted me to feel secure even if the world was turning upside down. He cooked me breakfast every morning and dinner at night. He didn't need to do that but he wanted to be a constant in my life, in his little nephew's life and his cousins."