At my grandfather’s funeral, I noticed a little girl near the coffin and was left puzzled when I discovered who she was.
The funeral of my grandfather was a particularly heavy moment for me. When I was a child, I used to spend my holidays at his place, and he often told me, “When I’m gone, you’ll see a rainbow in the sky, and you’ll know I’m watching over you.” Those words used to comfort me, but today, they echoed painfully in my mind.
Over the past five years, my life had been so consumed by work, obligations, and my own concerns, that I hadn’t taken the time to visit him. Each time, I’d tell myself, “I’ll go next month.” And now, it was too late. I was standing before his coffin, filled with regret.
When everyone had left, I noticed a little girl, about four years old. She seemed lost, as if she had no idea what was going on. Curious, I approached my mother to ask who she was. My mother didn’t know her.
I walked up to the little girl, a little hesitant, and asked, “What’s your name? Are you all alone? Where are your parents?”
She didn’t answer, and it was almost time to leave. I couldn’t just leave her there, in the cemetery. So, I offered to take her with us, and we’d help her find her parents later.
When we arrived at my grandfather’s house, the neighbor came out to greet us. Upon seeing the girl, she exclaimed, “Ah, you found Zoé!”
When she revealed who Zoé was, we were truly stunned to learn her identity.
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The neighbor, upon seeing Zoé, added: “Zoé is… your grandfather’s daughter.”
I stared at her, confused, not quite understanding.
My mother, visibly shocked, remained silent.
The neighbor continued, her voice trembling a little: “It was a long-standing secret relationship.
Your grandfather never talked about it, but she is indeed his daughter.”
The world seemed to stop for a moment.
Never, not once, had my grandfather mentioned anything about this.
How could such a thing have escaped the entire family?
Zoé, silent, watched the scene with wide, innocent eyes, as if she didn’t fully understand the magnitude of what her presence had just shaken up.