Chapter Five.

Lina walked out of the graveyard after the encounter with what she thought to be her grandmother's ghost, and then headed to Christopher's car.

She got in the back seat with her nephew Sammie, who was in his infant seat, and her brother drove to their grandma's house. 

When they arrived there, Lina walked in to exactly what she was trying to avoid.

A lot of people from the country side were present at the wake and their consolatory greetings drove her nuts.

Some even went as far as asking why she hasn't been in Bentonville in years, which was the question that she dreaded the most.

Lina only snickered awkwardly in response. 

And after getting through to half of the people in the living room, Lina slipped into her old room and laid quietly on the bed.

She heaved a sigh of relief and took her phone out of her bag to inform her team, she would return the forthcoming weekend.

Then she heard the door open and someone walking in.

She jerked upright and saw it was Catherine standing by the doorway.

Catherine walked in and left the door opened slightly. 

'I thought you weren't coming.' Catherine said and Lina got up on her feet.

'Christopher convinced me to come.' Lina replied. 

'I see.' Catherine snickered, sadly.

'Is there something you need me to do?' Lina asked.

'Why didn't you come home all these while?' Catherine heard herself ask.

'Cathy.' Lina muttered the cute name she calls Catherine by.

She has her way of referring to her loved ones and special people.

'Don't call me that. Just answer the question.' Catherine uttered. 

'I wish I could explain to you in simple terms, but the only answer I could give you right now is no longer strange to you.' Lina said.

'And, what is that supposed to mean?' Catherine fired.

'That the girls in the middle east are more important than us, your family?' She added.

'You'd rather tend to the needs of strangers, than be a part of your own family.' She heard her baby sister speak in fury.

'You all, are more important to me, Cat.' Lina said.

'If we were more important, why are you staying away from us?' Catherine asked.

'Catherine, some questions are better left unanswered.' Lina replied. 

'Wow!!' Catherine scoffed.

'I wonder what I was expecting you to say to me anyways.' She said.

'I should have known better.' She added and turned to leave.

'Why are you even upset?' Lina asked, and took a few steps forward. 

'Why..' Catherine turned back and her words trailed off in disbelief.

'Why am I even upset?' She barked.

'Are you seriously asked me that?' Catherine spat and her eyes darken in rage.

'You know what, Lina. It is one thing that you completely abandoned your own family. But, it is another thing entirely to be unapologetic about it.' She added.

'If an apology is what you want then I'm sorry, Catherine.' Lina said. 

'I don't need an apology from you now, when you didn't feel the need to tender it genuinely from the onset.' Catherine said. 

'We all had our hopes up, sis. You weren't even here until nana died.' She added.

'I came when I found out she passed, Catherine. If I had known she was ill, I would've been here sooner.' Lina replied. 

'How would you have known?' Catherine asked.

'You don't even answer our calls or return the ones you missed.' She blurted. 

'But, my presence wouldn't have stopped her death, you know. I am here now and that is all that matters.' Lina said.

'All that matters?' Catherine blurted.

'How selfish of you to say.' She added. 

'You don't care about anybody else, do you?' She threw a rhetoric at Lina.

'You care only about yourself.' Catherine uttered.

'Catherine please, grandma is gone already. Let's just mourn her.' Lina spoke back as calmly as she could.

'I, being here wouldn't have saved her.' She added.

'But, just maybe if you were here, your name wouldn't have been her last word.' Catherine said and a wave of shock glinted Lina's eyes.

Then, a deafening silence ensued. 

Natalie walked in shortly and she was certain she could feel tension hung like mist, veiling the atmosphere. 

'What is going on in here?' She asked, but no one replied. 

'You both can not be doing this now, we just buried your grandmother.' Natalie spat.

'I'm sorry, mom.' Lina apologised.

'I didn't mean to create any ruckus.' She added

'This is not the time to apologise. We need you both out there?' Natalie said. 

'Guests are arriving and we need help.' She added.

'I'd help serve them.' Catherine said and headed to the door.

'And you, Lina, can welcome the guests in.' Natalie said and walked out with Catherine. 

'Perfect.' Lina muttered in disgust, sarcastically. 

She walked out too in a few minutes and saw her father walking up the hallway, towards her.

Her feet stiffened and chills ran down her spine.

She was going to turn back and return to her room, when she heard him say her name for the first time in fifteen years. 

'Crystalina!!'

Her heart pounded on hearing the sound of his voice in a very long time.

Also, that was the first time she heard anyone refer to her by her full name in ages.

Lina chuckled nervously and whispered. 

'Good evening, sir.' 

'How have you been?' Her father, Nathan, asked.

'I, I have been.... good.' Lina sputtered. 

'Can I...' Nathan was going to keep the conversation going, but Christopher interrupted. 

'Lina, mom says you're needed now.' He called out from down the hallway. 

'I'm coming!!' Lina barked out in response.

And truthfully, she felt quite relieved. Christopher was such a lifesaver. 

'I have to go now. I am needed downstairs.' Lina said to her father. 

'Sure.' Nathan nodded and Lina walked past him.

He turned to look at her walking away and he called out to her again.

'Lina?!' 

'Yes.' Lina halted her steps.

'It's good to have you around.' Nathan said and she nodded.

And left for the living room.