The Orchid Tree
“The smell of the soil rose in the air: musty, sweet and clinging.
Father had died three days ago in his sleep; for the first and last time in his life Paulo Rodrigues had lost a fight and the cancer had finally defeated him. She stared at the wooden casket. He lay inside, dressed in his finest suit. Her chin wobbled and she breathed in gently; she mustn’t lose control. Father had brought her up to be strong; he would have expected her to show that strength now.
How could she leave him h...ere in this dismal depressing place, crammed with Victorian marble tombs and smelling of rot? Sorrow surged through her, but she couldn’t let herself break down in front of all these people. She turned to go.
‘Not so fast,’ Leo said. ‘We have to greet everyone first.’ Sofia stood next to him. A queue of dark-suited men had formed. They bowed and shook Leo’s hand, then shuffled past and ignored her. Leo had probably orchestrated this charade to humiliate her.MoreLess
Father had died three days ago in his sleep; for the first and last time in his life Paulo Rodrigues had lost a fight and the cancer had finally defeated him. She stared at the wooden casket. He lay inside, dressed in his finest suit. Her chin wobbled and she breathed in gently; she mustn’t lose control. Father had brought her up to be strong; he would have expected her to show that strength now.
How could she leave him h...ere in this dismal depressing place, crammed with Victorian marble tombs and smelling of rot? Sorrow surged through her, but she couldn’t let herself break down in front of all these people. She turned to go.
‘Not so fast,’ Leo said. ‘We have to greet everyone first.’ Sofia stood next to him. A queue of dark-suited men had formed. They bowed and shook Leo’s hand, then shuffled past and ignored her. Leo had probably orchestrated this charade to humiliate her.MoreLess
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