Euchre continued until 5 in the morning, with the noise finally ceasing. Fortunately, Theo enjoyed the lively atmosphere, otherwise, he might have had to get up and scold the kids.
A few of them were so tired that they could not open their eyes, but they still lit a candle for Theo after it ended. The elder group ended it before 1 a.m.
Sherri and Stella kept yawning one after another, their eyes glistening with fatigue.
Observing her best friend, who seemed half-dead while leaning on Hackett's shoulder, Natalie sensed she might collapse at any moment. She directed, saying, "Head upstairs for some rest."
Upon hearing this, Sherri yawned and nodded in agreement. She really had no intention of going home. Although she was here to send Mr. Wilson off, she had no plans to drive in fatigue.
Trevon watched as everyone seemed drained as if they had been sapped of energy by mischievous spirits. He opened his mouth slightly and said, "Let's all go upstairs and take a break. Mary has already prepared the rooms."
Stella leaned two-thirds of her weight on Chris's shoulder. Despite Chris being quite tired, he did not push his sister away and allowed her to lean on him.
Edward put one arm around Rose's shoulder.
Stella covered her mouth with one hand, yawning incessantly. Her eyelids were battling to stay open, and her head felt like it was stuffed with cotton, making her feel fuzzy. She said, "Right now, I see Euchre cards floating in front of my eyes. With so many people, you couples should not team up. Let's have the women in one room and the men in another, okay?"
Stella kindly suggested while in a daze.
Rose found the idea feasible. Otherwise, they would need more rooms, which would be too troublesome. She said, "Alright, honey, I'll leave you for a while, I just need to take a quick nap."
Agreeing with his wife, Edward said, "Yeah, let's split the men into two rooms. A bed could not fit four men."
The last three women shared a room. Hackett chose to sleep with Jim to comfort his broken heart. Edward shared a room with Chris, while Frank was taken to the airport by Tom after the Euchre ended.
In the evening.
A woman in a black gown stood in front of the mourning hall. Her dress was hand-embroidered with white, three-dimensional flowers that were lifelike. There was also a white flower on her chest. She stood in front of the mourning hall with a dark expression. Her eyes flickered with light, blurring the black-and-white photo in front of her.
The man, dressed in a black suit, placed a lit candle in the holder, knelt down in prayer, and then rose with a sigh. Apologetically, he said, "Grandpa, I'm sorry for arriving late. Have a safe journey."
The woman helped the man stand up. The man raised his hand to wipe the tears that had yet to spill from the corners of his eyes.
Beside them, a pregnant woman in a black dress, her belly prominently large, resembling a pot placed in the middle, looked visibly tired. With the support of the man, she slightly bent down in a gesture of reverence, preparing to light the candle.
"I'll do it." As he spoke, Frank let go of Ava's wrist and took the candle in her hand. He went forward and placed it in the holder.
When Natalie saw Frank let go, she quickly went forward and held Ava's waist, and rebuked, "Why are you running over here too? Bring Ava home."
The last sentence was directed at Frank. It was not appropriate for Ava to come here with a big belly. With more people arriving later, they might bump into each other, and Grandpa would be worried if he saw this.
Ava held Natalie's hand and smiled gently, "It's okay. I just came to see Mr. Wilson. Don't worry. I'll go back in a while."
Natalie heaved a sigh of relief. How could she not be nervous? Once again, she addressed the Turner couple, saying, "Mr. Turner, Mrs. Turner, let Ava go home first."
Trevon glanced at a belly nearly the same size as Natalie's, furrowing his brow. He said, "Frank, take Ava back to the Roberts residence. The crowd will increase later, and you don't need to come over tonight."
Frank was actually more worried than anyone. He wished the young girl would just rest on the bed and not stress about moving around. However, as soon as she got off the plane, the little girl expressed a desire to visit Theo. Unable to resist her earnest plea, he reluctantly agreed, saying, "Okay."
Seeing the young girl pouting, Frank supported her waist with one hand and held her wrist with the other, in a constant protective stance. "Behave, I'll bring you here again tomorrow morning. There will be more people in the evening, and many of them smoke."
"Alright." Seeing that everyone was so busy, Ava did not want to be a burden and increase everyone's busyness.
"Frank, take Ava back. I'll stay here with your mom tonight" Daniel instructed, guarding the mourning hall.
"Alright, I'll take Baby Ava back now," Frank replied.
After Frank and Ava left, Daniel and Emma planned to find Caleb to have a chat and offer some comfort. Daniel said, "Natalie, we want to go inside. If you need anything, call me. Your brother will be here soon, we'll send the kids to the Yamin family first."
"I'm fine. My brother has sent me a message," Natalie replied.
"That's good," replied Daniel.
After a while, two men in black attire entered, a father and son. As soon as they walked in, they nodded at Trevon. Recognizing them as guests, Trevon courteously greeted, "Uncle."
Ted nodded. He had actually wanted to come over for a long time, but when he thought of what his father had done and how he had indulged and protected him, he felt that he was too ashamed to come. After thinking for a few days, he felt that he should come. "I'm sorry, I really don't have the face to see you."
Trevon glanced at Max, who had become much more obedient beside him. However, he did not look very well. Trevon had also heard that Max had been undergoing therapy and medication. After looking at him for a few seconds, he looked away and said calmly, "Grandpa said that the past is the past."
After that, the two men fell silent, as there wasn't much to talk about. Peggy had long been released, but Carlos wouldn't be coming out in this lifetime. It was said that he had fallen ill even while still inside.
Peggy was a person with a narrow mind and a strong sense of jealousy. When she was inside, she always believed that Theo was heartless, so she wouldn't come to visit him. Perhaps deep down, she may even have wished for unrest in the Wilson's residence.
Natalie greeted politely. "Uncle."
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