The Call From the Prison
Chapter 19 - The Call From the Prison
Franklin died two years after his conviction.
The prison called Emily at dawn.
He left no final confession.
No hidden apology appeared.
His personal possessions fit inside a cardboard box: reading glasses, three shirts, Katherine’s photograph, and the picture of his children Emily had left beside his bed.
Grant wanted no funeral.
Daniel had no opinion.
Emily arranged a private burial beside the Cole family plot but did not bury him beside Katherine.
She placed no grand title on the stone.
Only his name and dates.
At the service, Emily spoke briefly.
“My father harmed many people. He was also a frightened man who spent his life believing control could keep him from being abandoned. It did the opposite.”
She did not call him loving.
She did not call him evil.
She called him responsible.
After the burial, the three siblings remained.
Grant placed his hand on the headstone.
“I wanted him to choose me.”
Daniel said, “I wanted him to regret losing me.”
Emily looked toward Katherine’s grave.
“I wanted him to become someone else.”
They stood in silence.
Then Daniel asked whether they were still having dinner Sunday.
Grant complained about the restaurant.
Emily laughed.
Grief did not end.
May you like
It loosened.
They walked away together.
