Turning Of the Tide by Diana Sander

The moment Trevon finished speaking, the man on the bed did not respond or offer a retort.

After a few seconds of silence, Trevon turned around and brought his grandfather a bucket of water. He wiped Theo's face and hands, then proceeded to comb his hair as well. Following that, he went to the closet and retrieved the clothes Rachel had prepared in advance, dressing his grandfather.

Theo had always been headstrong, so Trevon was certain he would not appreciate others helping him with dressing. Therefore, Trevon took it upon himself to assist.

He finished helping Theo wash up and get dressed.

He then took out his phone and called Jim. As soon as Jim picked up, he instructed, "Get the funeral service personnel to cto Wilson's residence." Silence lingered on the other end of the line. After a few seconds, Jim quickly said, "Alright, | will arrange it immediately." Upon ending the call, Trevon returned his phone to his pocket. After quickly checking on his grandfather in bed, he made his way to his parent's room with the intention of inviting the members of the Wilson's residence to bid farewell to his grandfather.

Despite Caleb not being in Theo's room, sleep eluded him in his own bed. Upon hearing a knock on the door, he promptly threw off the blanket and rose from the bed. Observing his weary son at the door, he immediately grasped the situation. Tears welled up in his eyes and eventually streamed down his face. Clenching the door handle tightly for support, he uttered, "I understand. Go tell Natalie." "Yeah." Having returned to his room, Trevon nudged the person on the bed. "Natalie..." "Huh? Why did you cback? Has Daddy gone to see Grandpa?" Upon awakening, Natalie noticed the redness in Trevon's eyes. A sudden tightness gripped her heart, and an ominous feeling settled in her chest.

Her demeanor instantly shifted as she sobered up. She choked slightly before asking, "Grandpa... has he passed away?" As soon as she finished her words, tears streamed down her face, and she opened her mouth wide, struggling to find words for a long moment.

Trevon nodded. Although he did not appear very melancholic, Natalie could discern the sadness in his eyes. She was cognizant that, being a man, he refrained from expressing his current emotions through tears. "Have you reached out to the funeral service personnel? | have their phone numbers." She previously saved the number when she had arranged a funeral for her grandfather.

Upon hearing her words, Trevon once again regretted not attending her grandfather's funeral because of his pride. "I am sorry." They understood each other without having to say much. Natalie raised her hand and wiped her tears away.

"There is no need for that. Let's deal with Grandpa's funeral first. He does not like to be high-profile, so we should try our best to cater to his preference." Following the conclusion of the call with Trevon, Jim dialed Frank, who had been residing in Athana recently as he was aware of Theo's ailing health. Jim had informed Ava about this in advance.

The phone call connected, and a groggy voice cthrough from the other side, suggesting that Frank had answered with his eyes shut. Jim went directly to the matter, announcing, "Theo has just passed away." "Thanks." Frank snapped awake instantly. After ending the call with Jim, he swiftly jumped up from the bed and hastily put on his slippers. As he dialed the phone, he went to the wardrobe to look for clothes, silently cursing Trevon all the while. It was evident that Hackett was deep in sleep as he did not pick up his phone, allowing it to ring for a prolonged period.

With surging anger, Frank angrily tossed his phone onto the bed, causing it to bounce. He swiftly put on a black suit and called Chris, who, being sensitive to calls due to frequent surgeries, answered promptly. "Go to the Wilson's residence." Upon hearing Frank's instructions, Chris did not offer many words. "Okay, | will be right there. You can go ahead, and | will join you shortly," Chris responded.

Frank looked at the unanswered call and furrowed his eyebrows. He then decided to call Edward, who picked up the call very quickly. However, perhaps because Edward did not want to wake Rose and the child up, he spoke very softly, "Hello." In reality, Edward hesitated before answering the phone. He was momentarily stunned before picking up, as it was the first tFrank had called him in the middle of the night since his marriage. Therefore, this unexpected call left him feeling a bit nervous.

Frank asked, "Is Hackett with the Blackwell family or the Landor family at the moment?" Edward replied, "He is at the Landor's residence today. What is going on? Do you have something to tell him?" Frank said, "Wake him up and have him go to the Wilson's residence. Theo has passed away." Tonight, Jim and Frank shared the news of Theo's passing. Having been notified, Edward was stunned for a few seconds before responding, "Okay, | will go get him." After hanging up the phone, Edward prepared to get up. Considering Trevon's generosity toward him and Rose, he chose a black suit from the wardrobe and put it on. Rose, waking up in a haze, discovered that Edward was already dressed. Feeling confused, she asked, "Hey, darling, where exactly are you going to in the middle of the night?" Rose rubbed her neck, squinted her eyes halfway, and propped herself up from the bed. As she glanced at her phone to check the time, she shifted its placement slightly to shield her eyes from the harsh light. It was at that moment she realized it was only three o'clock in the early hours of the morning.

Edward returned to the bed and laid her down again. "I will go to wake Hackett up." As soon as he finished, Rose beceven more puzzled. She frowned deeply and asked, "Why are you looking for Hackett so late at night? Well, shouldn't you be staying with your beautiful wife?" Edward pulled Rose's delicate hand away from his chest and replied with seriousness, "Stop fooling around.

Listen, Theo has just passed away. Since Trevon is unable to reach Hackett, | will wake him and head over to the Wilson's residence afterward." "He... Mr. Wilson has passed away?" Rose stuttered in disbelief. For a moment, her mouth hung open, and she did not know what to say or do.

She had originally intended to go to the Wilson's residence with Sherri this week to see Theo.

Edward stated, "Yes. | supposed he passed away half an hour ago. Get srest, okay? You still have to go to work tomorrow, after all. | will go over with Hackett." Rose had yet to process the information. Meanwhile, she assumed Natalie was devastated. Like a robot, she waved her hand, saying, "Go on. | am fine. Just go." "Okay, | will close the door. Go back to sleep. If you need anything, look for Mom and Dad." "Okay." Edward stood at Hackett and Sherri's door, knocking persistently. He made three more calls, but neither Hackett nor Sherri answered.

Standing at the door, he furrowed his brows deeply as agitation pulsed through his throbbing head. In the meantime, Juana and Richard, in the adjacent room, hastily put on their clothes and rose to investigate, but Hackett and Sherri remained unresponsive.

Juana asked his neatly dressed son in confusion, "Edward, are you going on a business trip so late at night?" In the meantime, she pondered, 'If he is only going on a business trip, why is he standing in front of Sherri's door? Is he going to ask my son-in-law to drive him to the airport?' Richard asked, "Do you want Hackett to take you? Why don't | give you a ride instead? | suppose Hackett is sound asleep at the moment. Well, have there been any new projects lately? It doesn't seem like there are any overseas contracts that require signing." "Dad, | am not going on a business trip. | am going to ask Hackett to get up and go to the Wilson's residence." Juana said, "To the Wilson's... Theo..." With widened eyes and a sigh, she said to her son, "Just open the door and enter. Give him a shout." Afterward, she aided in unlocking the door. Entering the room, Edward found Hackett in a deep slumber, intermittently smacking his lips, just as Edward had expected.

Edward was speechless. He pushed Hackett's shoulder, but there was no response. He tried again, pushing harder, yet there was still no reaction. Eventually, he resorted to grabbing Hackett's shoulder and pulling him upright.

Surprised by the sudden awakening, Hackett, with his eyes still half-shut, began to unleash a string of profanities. "Fuck! Who the fuck..." Once he realized that it was Edward, he said with helplessness, "Edward, why aren't you sleeping at night? What's with you? Even if you fancy me, there's no need to visit in the middle of the night. You could have givena heart attack." After speaking, Hackett let out a sigh, suppressing the unfinished curses and scratching his head in frustration.

Without waiting for Hackett to speak again, Edward went straight to the point, saying, "Frank wants you to get to the Wilsons' residence within half an hour." As soon as Edward finished speaking, he strode out of Hackett's bedroom and saw that Richard had also changed his clothes. Seeing his son looking at him, he said, "Let's go together." Edward and Richard sat in the car, awaiting Hackett. Soon, Hackett jogged toward them while putting on his clothes. He then slipped into the backseat and said to Richard, who was already seated in the front passenger seat, "Let's go." In the backseat, Hackett began to straighten his disheveled hair as he lacked the tto comb it properly. He resorted to running his fingers through the unruly strands, making do with the makeshift styling. Expressing his dissatisfaction, he said, "Trevon should have called. It is such a big deal after all." Richard commented, "Don't dwell on it. Theo has just left, and he is probably not in the best mood either. He is likely occupied with arranging the funeral. Considering it is early morning, you know, he probably did not want to disturb your sleep by giving you a call." Hackett, of course, understood the situation, he was just talking nonsense. In Athana, there was a custom where the host family did not actively invite people to offer condolences. Instead, it was the relatives and friends who would take the initiative to con their own. As a result, the host family never sent out invitations for the funeral.

During the early hours of the morning, the Athanath street saw a sparse number of pedestrians. One could discern only a handful of people, and the traffic consisted of very few cars.

Because of the smooth traffic, the car quickly arrived at the Wilson's residence.

After the car had cto a stop, Hackett quickly opened the door. Upon stepping out of the car, he discovered that the funeral service for Theo had already been organized in the courtyard.

Frank, Chris, and Jim had already arrived, with Hackett being the last to join. Several individuals were lending a hand with the arrangements, and the courtyard was now adorned with funeral flowers.

William and Grace paid their respects, offering condolences before engaging in a conversation with Rachel and Caleb for a while. Before leaving, they mentioned that they would return later in the evening.

The air hung thick with a solemnity that quelled any inclination for jesting or banter. Therefore, no one dared to engage in a dispute with Trevon. Hackett, who was rarely serious, approached with a solemn expression, saying, "My condolences." Trevon acknowledged with a nod. "Hmm." Noticing Edward and Richard following Hackett, he exchanged greetings, exemplifying the etiquette appropriate for the bereaved family. "Thank you." Richard said, "My condolences." Edward offered a comforting pat on Trevon's shoulder. As they stood in the courtyard, the sounds of sobbing emanated from inside the villa. "You have my deepest sympathy." Trevon expressed his gratitude toward Edward, who then proceeded to offer condolences to other family members with Hackett. Following that, Edward gazed silently at Theo's black and white portrait for a few moments before uttering a prayer.

Hackett offered a prayer, saying, "May you rest in peace, Mr. Wilson. As you journey to the beyond, | hope that you will find peace and an endless life awaiting you." Trevon reflected on the letter his grandfather had left behind, wherein he urged everyone not to cry and to bid him farewell with a smile as they send him off to his wife. The lengthy letter, which spanned thousands of words, underscored the significance of caution in Trevon's future pursuits. It was clear that Theo harbored concerns about Trevon's future before his passing. Ultimately, in the concluding section of the letter, Theo penned his final request.

[Trevon, | know that | do not have much tleft. When you read this letter, | have already gone to see your grandmother. Don't be sad, okay? Don't be sad foras | simply long to reunite with your grandmother. Maybe she could not bear the wait any longer and grew impatient. Looking at the positive side, | enjoy a life of hustle and bustle. Feeling the bustling atmosphere at the Wilsons' residence, | feel content and satisfied. You see, being able to see a few little ones and witness your happy marriage bringsgreat joy. When | left, remember to sendoff with smiles, not tears. | will be with your grandmother, not on the battlefield, so don't make it overly sorrowful. Also, remember not to neglect my garden, and move the garden your grandmother entrusted to my care over too. | am not entirely at ease about you, but your grandmother and | will watch over you. Don't be sad.

| am leaving happily and with peace of mind. Do live a happy life with your wife.]