Just Breathe Again - Mia Villano Page 0,8
stared at his face as his heart slowed down and eventually stopped. The long beeping noise told her Vince had left. In her life, ending her husbands, had to be the worst thing she ever did or ever would do. When it ended, they took Vince away and gave her his belongings he had on him the day of the accident. Everything he wore, and anything left in his motorcycle, was put in a bag and given back to Jeannie. She took the bag home, put it in her closet, and couldn’t bear to look at it till much later. She couldn’t look at his things and smell his cologne, still lingering on his clothes.
Jeannie had to figure out a way to pay for his funeral. Her mother, Victoria decided she had time to come up after Vince died. She stayed for two days in a hotel. Jeannie’s mother offered to pay for the funeral. She offered to pay the funeral expenses, including the plot of land needed to bury him. Distraught and desperate, Jeannie accepted her offer without an argument. The only other option she had was to have him cremated and bring him home in a box. Not what she had in mind for the love of her life. Jeannie went with her mother to the funeral home to pick out a casket and a plot near his parents in Cedartown Cemetery. His plot was under a tree and while they were purchasing it, Jeannie’s mom purchased two more plots, just in case. The day of the funeral pulled at Jeannie’s stability. She was wrecked and tried to keep it together to get through the day. Jeannie made it through the mass and to this day, she doesn’t remember much of the service. Once the funeral ended, her mom wouldn’t let her forget what she did. Victoria didn’t let things like that go when she did anyone a favor. Jeannie didn’t care. Just to get through the days was hard enough. She couldn’t worry about what she owed her mother or how she would pay her back.
The next day, Victoria had another excuse to leave in a rush. This time it was a small surgical procedure she was having and could not cancel. Her mom’s quick departure was overwhelming to Jeannie; her mom didn’t stay and help her with the kids. She didn’t even offer. It was more like “I told you so” attitude she had and did not want to stick around to be asked to help in any way. Jeannie had no intentions on asking for money, she needed her mom’s love and support and nothing else.
Lydia and Michael were a total mess. They didn’t want to go to school, church, or anywhere. Michael cried in his sleep and Lydia stayed in her room under the covers. For the longest time they blamed Jeannie for letting Vince die. They thought she should have left him alone and maybe, he would have woke up. She was alone, broke, and devastated. As the weeks went on, the devastation of their lives took hold. That’s when Jeannie’s world came crashing down on her even harder.
Jeannie fell into a deep depression and could not keep up with the bills. Within a year they lost the house, land, the cars, and everything they worked so hard to keep. Jeannie refused when Marsha tried to give her a loan. It wasn’t her responsibility to help with their problems. To spend time with the kids was one thing; giving them money was something different. She had to take the kids and move to the one place they could afford. Marsha insisted they move into her guest house for a while. Jeannie considered, but couldn’t accept. She had to depend on herself and it was a big imposition to move in on her best friend. Through someone at work, she found a trailer to rent for next to nothing. She couldn’t imagine living in a trailer ever in her life. Her mom would have said she told her so, but what anyone said didn’t matter. Jeannie had to do what she could to keep a roof over their heads, and food in the refrigerator.
Moving day was the second hardest day of her life. To sell, pack up, and leave the home Vince built ripped at her already broken heart. To watch her children once again lose something they loved, tore her apart.
Their new home was white and aqua, with a small porch you walked