Chapter 4
Gerardo said, "A friend's cat passed away, and she was really torn up about it. She wanted a nice spot to lay it to rest.
"I figured your dad's grave was perfect, so I just moved his urn to a temporary locker for a bit—"
"It's been nineteen days already," I replied.
"Wait, what?"
"March 15th to April 3rd. That's nineteen days."
He rubbed the back of his head, looking awkward.
"Well, I didn't expect it to take this long, but I was planning to put it back soon."
"When were you actually going to tell me?"
"You've been so busy lately. I didn't want to—"
"Didn't want to what?"
He finally seemed uncomfortable.
But it was barely noticeable.
"Come on, Julissa, don't be so serious about this. I just moved it for a while. Your dad's urn is fine; it's sitting safe in the storage locker."
Just moved it for a bit.
I stared at him.
He looked kind of sheepish facing me, but mostly just annoyed.
He honestly didn't think it was a big deal.
"Whose cat was it?" I asked.
"A friend's," he replied.
"What's her name?"
He hesitated for a moment. "Kaelyn Craft. She's a pet blogger."
The pink memorial stone had "Love you, from Kaelyn" carved on it.
"What's her relationship to you?"
"She was just a fan at first, but we became friends later—"
"You had cheesecake with her on March 16th."
His expression finally shifted. "Did you check my feed?"
"The hand in that video, with the rose-pink nail polish? That wasn't mine."
Gerardo shot to his feet.
As he stood up, I saw that look on his face, the one I knew all too well. When he got caught, it wasn't guilt; it was irritation.
"Julissa, what are you trying to say?" he snapped.
"I'm saying you moved my father's ashes and gave his grave to your lover's cat," I said.
"She's not my lover. She's a friend. Her cat died; she was devastated, so I helped her find a place to bury it. Is that so wrong?"
"Did you ever ask me?"
"You were out of town; how was I supposed to ask you?"
"You have my number."
He froze.
Silence hung in the air for a few seconds.
Then he did something that made my heart go cold.
He let out a laugh.
The kind of laugh that says, "Seriously? You're blowing this way out of proportion."
"Julissa, you work in funerals; don't tell me you're getting all superstitious now. Ashes are just ashes; does it really matter where they're kept? And it's not like you even bought that spot—" he scoffed.
"I did buy it."
"What?"
"Plot C-3-7. The contract's in my name, and I paid for it out of my own account. You can look it up yourself."
He opened his mouth, but couldn't say a thing.
I didn't let him get a word in.
"You moved the ashes without my permission; that's a violation of my right to grieve. And on top of that, you turned a human grave into a pet's resting place, which breaks the cemetery rules," I said.
"You're seriously bringing up the law now?" he shot back. "Seriously? You're freaking out over some dead guy's urn?"
Some dead guy.
That was how he referred to my dad.
When I heard those words, I didn't lose it.
I picked up the pillow from the couch and set it aside.
It was a pointless gesture, but I needed to do something to keep my hands from shaking.
I stood up.
"I'm not eating," I said.
"Don't—" Gerardo started.
"Gerardo, my dad was sixty-one when he passed. He was in the final stages of cancer, and in those last three months, he wasted away until he weighed less than a hundred pounds.
"The only thing he ever asked me for was a warm place to rest. The spot I chose for him gets at least two hours of sunlight, even on the shortest day of the year.
"You moved him into a tiny metal locker, barely a foot square, facing north, where not a single ray of sunlight ever touches.
"And then you put a cat in his place."
I walked straight into the bedroom and closed the door.
I didn't slam it.
I softly clicked the lock shut.
When I sat down on the edge of the bed, I realized my hands wouldn't stop shaking.
They'd been trembling ever since I walked in.
My phone lit up.
Gerardo texted me. [Hey, take it easy. It's really not as bad as you think. I'll bring the urn back tomorrow.]
I didn't reply.
I opened my notes app and typed out three lines.
[1. Sue Gerardo for violating my right to pay respects.
[2. Sue Pinecrest Memorial Park for breach of contract and report them to the local authorities.
[3. File for divorce.]