Her mother had offered to come with her on the 4 hour round trip drive to the Ex's funeral with her. They managed to not kill each other there or back, but there were moments of tension. She'd emotionally thrown up a wall to deal with the day anyway.
She expected to attend the funeral, pay her respects, support the ex, feel like she shouldn't be there the whole time, and leave.
She didn't expect to feel everything that she'd feel. She got into town a little early so they stopped at a rest area and then went directly to the funeral home.
It was packed, and for a moment she panicked. She needed to find a place for her mother to sit, at least. She saw her ex and went to him for a hug. He said there were still spots available so she ventured down the pew-like benches.
She locked eyes with some of his best friends from the town, and she didn't know if they were going to ignore her, or hate that she was there. They told her to sit down next to them and gave her a very warm hug. She didn't expect sympathy, caring or love. She was completely unprepared for that reaction. Her wall came down in an unexpected way, and she cried in a way she didn't think she would at the funeral. They somehow made it okay for her to be upset about this death.
They stuck with her through the funeral, and the wake afterwards. She couldn't believe how much they treated her like nothing had changed, like the divorce didn't happen. Even his brothers gave her a hug, and although the feeling was just them dealing with their grief.
The weather was so bitter cold, but her heart was warm from the not-rejection she experienced. She just expected the reception to be as chilly as the weather. She felt so relieved that she was wrong.
