Turning Of the Tide by Diana Sander

Euchre continued until 5 in the morning, with the noise finally ceasing. Fortunately, Theo enjoyed the lively atmosphere, otherwise, he might have had to get up and scold the kids.

A few of them were so tired that they could not open their eyes, but they still lit a candle for Theo after it ended.

The elder group ended it before 1 a.m.

Sherri and Stella kept yawning one after another, their eyes glistening with fatigue.

Observing her best friend, who seemed half-dead while leaning on Hackett's shoulder, Natalie sensed she might collapse at any moment. She directed, saying, "Head upstairs for srest." Upon hearing this, Sherri yawned and nodded in agreement. She really had no intention of going home. Although she was here to send Mr. Wilson off, she had no plans to drive in fatigue.

Trevon watched as everyone seemed drained as if they had been sapped of energy by mischievous spirits. He opened his mouth slightly and said, "Let's all go upstairs and take a break. Mary has already prepared the rooms." Stella leaned two-thirds of her weight on Chris's shoulder. Despite Chris being quite tired, he did not push his sister away and allowed her to lean on him.

Edward put one arm around Rose's shoulder.

Stella covered her mouth with one hand, yawning incessantly. Her eyelids were battling to stay open, and her head felt like it was stuffed with cotton, making her feel fuzzy. She said, "Right now, | see Euchre cards floating in front of my eyes. With so many people, you couples should not team up. Let's have the women in one room and the men in another, okay?" Stella kindly suggested while in a daze.

Rose found the idea feasible. Otherwise, they would need more rooms, which would be too troublesome. She said, "Alright, honey, I'll leave you for a while, | just need to take a quick nap." Agreeing with his wife, Edward said, "Yeah, let's split the men into two rooms. A bed could not fit four men." The last three women shared a room. Hackett chose to sleep with Jim to comfort his broken heart. Edward shared a room with Chris, while Frank was taken to the airport by Tom after the Euchre ended.

In the evening.

A woman in a black gown stood in front of the mourning hall. Her dress was hand-embroidered with white, three- dimensional flowers that were lifelike. There was also a white flower on her chest. She stood in front of the mourning hall with a dark expression. Her eyes flickered with light, blurring the black-and-white photo in front of her.

The man, dressed in a black suit, placed a lit candle in the holder, knelt down in prayer, and then rose with a sigh. Apologetically, he said, "Grandpa, I'm sorry for arriving late. Have a safe journey." The woman helped the man stand up. The man raised his hand to wipe the tears that had yet to spill from the corners of his eyes.

Beside them, a pregnant woman in a black dress, her belly prominently large, resembling a pot placed in the middle, looked visibly tired. With the support of the man, she slightly bent down in a gesture of reverence, preparing to light the candle.

"I'll do it." As he spoke, Frank let go of Ava's wrist and took the candle in her hand. He went forward and placed it in the holder.

When Natalie saw Frank let go, she quickly went forward and held Ava's waist, and rebuked, "Why are you running over here too? Bring Ava home." The last sentence was directed at Frank. It was not appropriate for Ava to chere with a big belly. With more people arriving later, they might bump into each other, and Grandpa would be worried if he saw this.

Ava held Natalie's hand and smiled gently, "It's okay. | just cto see Mr. Wilson. Don't worry. I'll go back in a while." Natalie heaved a sigh of relief. How could she not be nervous? Once again, she addressed the Turner couple, saying, "Mr. Turner, Mrs. Turner, let Ava go hfirst." Trevon glanced at a belly nearly the ssize as Natalie's, furrowing his brow. He said, "Frank, take Ava back to the Roberts residence. The crowd will increase later, and you don't need to cover tonight." Frank was actually more worried than anyone. He wished the young girl would just rest on the bed and not stress about moving around. However, as soon as she got off the plane, the little girl expressed a desire to visit Theo.

Unable to resist her earnest plea, he reluctantly agreed, saying, "Okay." Seeing the young girl pouting, Frank supported her waist with one hand and held her wrist with the other, in a constant protective stance. "Behave, I'll bring you here again tomorrow morning. There will be more people in the evening, and many of them smoke." "Alright." Seeing that everyone was so busy, Ava did not want to be a burden and increase everyone's busyness.

"Frank, take Ava back. I'll stay here with your mom tonight" Daniel instructed, guarding the mourning hall.

"Alright, I'll take Baby Ava back now," Frank replied.

After Frank and Ava left, Daniel and Emma planned to find Caleb to have a chat and offer scomfort. Daniel said, "Natalie, we want to go inside. If you need anything, call me. Your brother will be here soon, we'll send the kids to the Yamin family first." "I'm fine. My brother has senta message," Natalie replied.

"That's good," replied Daniel.

After a while, two men in black attire entered, a father and son. As soon as they walked in, they nodded at Trevon. Recognizing them as guests, Trevon courteously greeted, "Uncle." Ted nodded. He had actually wanted to cover for a long time, but when he thought of what his father had done and how he had indulged and protected him, he felt that he was too ashamed to come. After thinking for a few days, he felt that he should come. "I'm sorry, | really don't have the face to see you." Trevon glanced at Max, who had becmuch more obedient beside him. However, he did not look very well.

Trevon had also heard that Max had been undergoing therapy and medication. After looking at him for a few seconds, he looked away and said calmly, "Grandpa said that the past is the past." After that, the two men fell silent, as there wasn't much to talk about. Peggy had long been released, but Carlos wouldn't be coming out in this lifetime. It was said that he had fallen ill even while still inside.

Peggy was a person with a narrow mind and a strong sense of jealousy. When she was inside, she always believed that Theo was heartless, so she wouldn't cto visit him. Perhaps deep down, she may even have wished for unrest in the Wilson's residence.

Natalie greeted politely. "Uncle." Max looked up at Natalie and quickly lowered his gaze. He followed Ted to pay his respects to Theo. After paying their respects, they did not stay any longer. They only exchanged a few simple pleasantries before leaving in a hurry.

Watching the two of them leave, Natalie sighed. "He has aged a lot. Do you want to tell Mom and Dad?" "Yeah, we'll talk about it later. There's no hurry. Natalie, do you want to rest for a while? You can go to bed early tonight. I'll stay up," Trevon said, feeling sorry for Natalie, who had been staying up with him.

"It's okay. Let's discuss it after we've taken Grandpa to Grandma's place. | can manage. Do you have smisunderstanding about me? Am | that weak?" Natalie raised her head and asked with a smile on her face. She wanted to reassure him.

"Got it. If you're tired, take a rest," she continued when she noticed him staring at her without saying anything.

Trevon nodded softly and said, "Okay." After dinner, the card gresumed. Joseph took Frank's place, while Jim pitifully joined the three women in the game. The outcwas easy to guess, and Stella was granted a break by Leia, allowing her to return to work after the funeral.

The Yamin couple, along with Nathan and Richard, paid an evening visit. After a short stay, they left. The Roberts family planned to stay overnight at the Wilson's residence. Their son would be at hin the evening to accompany Ava. There had to be someone from the Roberts family staying to keep watch.

Under the pressure from Joseph, Chris did not expect his brother-in-law to be so skilled at the game. "How about playing with exposed cards? So far, you're the only one making any moves," he suggested.

Seated beside him, Christina defended him, "If your skills aren't up to par, don't blyour brother-in-law. Learn to find the reasons for your own shortcomings." At another table, Stella nodded earnestly, fully agreeing. "Exactly! Look, | just won again. Your skills are just too poor." After saying this, Stella added, "Chris, do you know what this is called? This is completely using blto find your own psychological gap." Christina, listening from the side, felt that her sister's ability to analyze problems had improved quite a bit under Leia's influence. She could now draw conclusions.

Chris felt it was better for him to stay quiet. "Please continue as if | didn't say anything." "Chris, your straightforward personality is a bit worrisome. Can't you just flatter Joseph a bit? If you flatter him well, Joseph will feed you the cards," Rose said.

"Do you think I'm you?" Chris retorted.

"Well, then you deserve to lose money. Look, Mr. Hawk is going to turn things around tonight," Rose teased with a playful tone.

At another table, several elders from other prominent families were already seated, but Grace did not seem eager to engage with them. Trevon understood and said, "Mr. Roberts, Mrs. Roberts, you can go back tonight.

There are quite a lot of people, Frank and | aren't bothered by such things." Trevon could sense what the Roberts couple was thinking. They wanted to spare Frank from unnecessary trouble.

Natalie also joined in persuading them. Knowing that the Roberts couple understood etiquette, she felt that once Frank left, they should step in. Both couples had guessed the inner thoughts of the Roberts couple. "Yes, we're family. We're really fine." After a few minutes of persuasion, the Roberts couple was convinced to return. Before leaving, William instructed Edward to take care of Rose. However, Rose reassured them, saying there was no need to worry as their room was upstairs.

Just like that, everyone rushed to the Wilson's residence as soon as they woke up, persisting until the day of the funeral.

Perhaps God was responding to Theo's request. The sun was shining brightly today, and the weather was extremely good. Even the cemetery was dyed with a warm color.

On the side, a group of workers were busy digging, arranging the garden brought from the Wilson's residence in the Wilson family cemetery. Jim directed everyone to handle it with care. After all, it was Theo's treasure.

If the things Theo cherished in his final moments were bumped or damaged, Trevon could give the responsible person a thorough beating and then send them to Southland.

He better be careful. In any case, he did not want to go there, and Terrell had just returned after all.

A group of people stood in front of the tombstone, with Caleb, Rachel, Trevon, and Natalie at the forefront. Three little ones stood beside them, and behind them were members of the Turner family, representatives from the four great families, and even Chris was standing at the back.

Ava was supported by Frank on the side, preventing others from bumping into her. Despite Natalie's instructions not to bring Ava, she insisted on coming. Frank had no choice but to escort her here, accompanied by Yana and Benjamin.

Joseph had already arranged for Benjamin and Yana to be in Athana, dedicated to safeguarding Ava's safety in the future.

The Wilson family cemetery was expansive, with several generations of ancestors laid to rest in this place. It resembled a courtyard for a large family, far from being lonely.

After the garden was settled, Trevon checked again. When he felt that there was no problem, he waved his hand and dismissed the workers. Then, he returned to the front of the tombstone, gently opening his lips and saying, "Grandpa, I've done what you asked. The garden that you wanted had been arranged. If you have any other requests, remember to visitin my dreams." Trevon did not say the last sentence out loud. He silently said it to Theo in his heart, as if Theo could really hear i) Natalie and Rachel squatted down and burned something in front of the tombstone. Rachel remained silent, while Caleb spoke with slightly wet eyes, "Mom, Dad always wished to be with you. Now, you're finally together again. Take care over there. I'll continue looking after this family for you. If there's anything wrong or not done well, remember to letknow." Trevon stood in front of the tombstone without saying a word. Everyone's mood was heavy. No matter how good the weather was, it was difficult to change everyone's mood at this moment. Everyone was wearing white corsages on their chests, and the three children were wearing small white hats made by Mary.

Kneeling side by side before their grandparents’ tombstone, the twins displayed an unusual maturity today. They weren't noisy or mischievous, whatever their older brother asked them to do, they obediently followed. They remained kneeling, their little heads lowered, lost in their thoughts.

Jasper's mood was quite low. Natalie went over, patting her son's head, and comforted him, "Don't be sad.

Grandpa said he's going to meet Grandma. Grandpa likes to see you happy, okay?" Jasper responded quietly, his mother's words not bringing much joy to him. "Yeah."