Today was the funeral for FIL's mother. W called and asked if she could come over and look for more pictures of her grandmother at around 11. I said that was ok, and went to take a shower. when I was dressed and ready I saw she was here, and she was in the girls bathroom blow drying her hair. How weird.
I went into my office and she called me on the intercom and said "I feel like having coffee, would you like some?" I said "Thanks, but I already had some" and she said "ok".
About an hour later I went to the clothing store to get a pair of black pants. When I came back I was talking to a friend on my cell and as I walked by the kitchen she said she was making a tuna sandwich, and did I want one? I turned and gave her the thumbs up, and nodded my head.
Then I went into my office. About 5 minutes later she came in with a plate with a sandwich, some baby carrots and grapes. I told her I was on the phone when she asked me before and she said she figured that, gave me a smile and left.
A while later we drove the 1/2 hour to the funeral. She sat in the back seat with D13 and D17 was in front. W started pestering D13, and I joked "Hey girls if you can't behave I'll have to come back there!" And W said "I'd like to see you try!".
Then she said "You can't because you're driving".
We got to the funeral and after hugs and greetings W and the girls sat in the front row on the left side of the chapel. I walked over there and saw that W' dad and stepmom had their stuff there, and asked the person behind them if they were sitting there. He said yes, so I went to sit in the front row on the right side of the chapel.
No biggie, but W saw me go sit there and told D17 to go sit with me. So she came over and sat by me. Then a minute later W and D13 came over and sat with us, with W on the far end of course.
Later, I asked D13 why she and her mom didn't sit with Grandpa and Stepmom and she said "I don't know, mom wanted us to sit with you". Everyone there knows our situation and W knows they know.
During the service, the pastor called on W to speak as she had asked him if she could say a few things. She went up and while crying she told stories of how her Grandma ran away and joined the circus when she was 17, and how she made her her first 'Squirrel Stew'. She talked about how she loved to take her on the roller coasters when she was a little girl.
After the service we all went to a relatives house to eat food and socialize. It was fine, she went her way and I went mine. Her dad and stepmom and all the other relatives like me and they were polite to her. But I know that she always feels judged by them. They really don't judge her, she just feels that way.
Eventually we went home. She sat in the back seat. On the way I said "That was a really great set of stories you told about your grandmother. It was like you were speaking for her, letting people know who she really was. I think she'd be proud of you".
she said 'thank you'.
She was looking out the window on the way home, then D13 asked her a question and she turned to look at her and was obviously crying. D13 asked her why she was crying and she said "I'm just thinking of things".
When we got home she didn't come into the house, she just said bye and left.
