you said about the Japanese Aesthetic principles.”
“Yeah?” She rounded the kitchen counter and began preparations to put on a pot of coffee.
“And I realized, when I was looking at the notes again last night, that, uh, what did you call it? Sayjack?”
“Seijaku. (静寂) It means serenity or calm, stillness, solitude.”
“Yeah, that word. It could be Benjamin’s grave.” The color seemed to rush out of Lauren’s face. “I mean, just think about it. We looked everywhere, in every property with the exception of his house, and the letters weren’t really hard to find. You just had to be lookin’ for them.”
“But Aries, he can’t plant a letter after death and even if he could, it wouldn’t stay put on a tombstone, out in the elements like that.”
My father wasn’t buried in a tomb. He’s in a family mausoleum, baby.” He scratched his nose, curing an itch. “His parents and brother are in there, too.”
She swallowed then began to twirl her engagement ring to and fro. It sure looked good on her. Aries had also told her some time ago that Benjamin’s ailing sister lived in Delaware with her daughter. They’d been estranged for decades.
“Okay, so, well, I didn’t know that. How do you think the letter would’ve gotten there though?”
“He may have placed it in advance, or had a friend do it.”
She seemed to mull around his words as she removed two white coffee mugs from an upper cabinet. He took a seat at her kitchen table, slid his baseball cap off his head, and closed his eyes. There was comfort in the smell of that house. In being close to the woman he loved. He even enjoyed the sounds of her movements—the shuffling on the wooden floors in her socks, and when she’d occasionally clear her throat.
“I’m going to fix this coffee, get cleaned up and dressed, and we’re heading out to the graveyard. While I’m upstairs getting myself together to leave, make sure you turn this coffee off when it’s done.”
“All right.” He was thrilled he didn’t have to ask her to come with him and help him get to the bottom of this. The woman understood him. He moved with urgency. With all his impatience, he needed answers.
“What if I’m wrong?” he asked as she placed a canister of sugar with a small silver spoon jetting out of it before him.
“It doesn’t matter. You said to me months ago you never went to his gravesite. You left the funeral and went on home. We pretty much figured out that Benjamin’s properties were something he cherished. They were all special to him so, even if you’re wrong, in your own way, you’d still be right. Our final resting space is our property, too. I’ll be back down in a hurry.”
It wasn’t long before they were on their way. It was about an hour’s drive to historic Oakland Cemetery.
“It’s beautiful here.” He’d never imagined cemeteries could be described as beautiful, but in this case, it was true.
“It is, isn’t it? This place is huge, baby. They even have a visitor center and museum.”
“Yeah, I saw that on the map.” They took one another’s hand and made the trek to the designated destination. His heart felt heavier and heavier with each step he took. After about fifteen minutes, they found the vault containing several of his late paternal relatives. Massive. Great. Towering. Lauren bent down and read the names.
“Oh, baby, look at all the names, dates of births and deaths.” He leaned down alongside her and read the information. Entering the mausoleum was a surreal experience. It was the size of a small house, all elaborately carved stone and marble. Fresh flowers had been placed inside. Lauren walked beside him, then released his hand, drifting back. He appreciated her giving him some space. When she gestured to him to keep going, he moved toward his father’s final resting place.
For a split second, he’d forgotten why the hell he was there. His emotions began to bubble up like hot lava, destroying his stone-faced resolve within seconds. He placed one palm, then the other, on the cool white and silver casket. He inhaled deeply, then exhaled. His breath curled up like the edges of regretfully written final letters.
“Give me a voice.” His words sounded foreign to him, as if he weren’t speaking at all. “Lauren, I don’t know what to say. I’m… I’m so angry! Speak for me…” He lowered his head and shook it as hot tears filled his eyes. He slammed