Midday
Julie, the nurse, and Fatima, the garde-malade, are taking care of Lara, bathing and dressing her (les soins) with respect. Meanwhile I notify the pompes funebres of Funerailles Michel, across the street from here, so that they can initiate the required admin procedures. The latter are quite extensive, since we formally live in Brussels Capital, while cremation takes place in Uccle, one of the 19 peripheral communities of Brussels as a whole. One of the hurdles to take is to elicit from the burgomaster of Uccle a personal signature. Without one, the body cannot move into his community. The undertaker will try and get Lara out of the house by tomorrow, depending on how well he does on expediting formalities.
At 1:00PM, as the girls are finishing up, a mortician passes by to enhance Lara's appearance and prepare her for cremation. He makes her look even more peaceful then she already did.
Tuesday morning I present myself, a single person, at the funeral center in Uccle. No pomp or circumstance. This is what I agreed with Lara. At some point in the future (maybe one year from today) I will gather a number of trusted friends and assorted relatives on a boat sailing Lake Geneva, and disperse her ashes over the water while a good time is being had by all. This is how she'd want it. The true measure of the occasion is the answer to the question if Lara would have enjoyed herself. Would she be having fun? Grieving time should then be at an end. A calvary that lasted a year and a half should then be declared officially closed.
Geen opmerkingen:
Een reactie posten