It was their thing. It was how they stayed connected to the beautiful Raven Atkins. Although Raven wasn’t Bella’s mother, Bella was used to the routine. Her own mother had died when she was just a baby and Ethic had started the practice with her. On the first of every month, they went to the cemetery and visited both graves, taking a blanket, a basket of food, and books in tow. It was how they stayed close to one another and to those they had lost. It was always a hard day for Ethic, but it made it easier for his kids, so he did it faithfully, never missing this time with them. Ethic was a cursed man. Falling in love with two women and losing them both, tragically. It seemed that death followed him wherever he went. Ethic had been so guarded and secluded since Raven’s passing. He had tried to find someone to fill the void. Only one woman had piqued his interest over the years and he had met her by chance. Disaya Morgan. She had been a great distraction from the pain, but she hadn’t been fully available to love him. She had a situation of her own that she couldn’t abandon, thus leaving him alone to mourn a ghost that no one could compare to.

The sun began to set, illuminating the cemetery in an orange hue, letting him know their day was coming to an end.

“Let’s pack up,” Ethic said, as he watched his children climb to their feet. “Put everything in the car. I’ll be there soon,” he told them. He watched them walk toward his Range Rover that set a few yards away, and then he knelt in front of Raven’s headstone. “I miss the shit out of you, Rae. Every day, every moment. You’re a hard act to follow, ma.” He placed the bouquet of flowers he held directly in front of her headstone. Kissing his fingers, he placed them to her name. “Until next time, love. Rest up.”

Ethic blinked away his emotion and swiped his hands over his face. When he stood, all traces of vulnerability were erased from his expression. He never exposed his melancholy to his children. He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his hoodie, as he headed back to his car. They drove through the city, a place he both loved and hated.