Cracks in the path

It’s the 26th today, the 26th as more meaning to Darren since his dad died on Boxing Day. It’s 4 months to the day since he lost his dad and despite appearances it’s not getting easier.
Darren goes to work, pays his bills, cleans the house, goes food shopping, takes me for walks, we go to caravan and go on even longer walks, to the outside world everything seems fine and that’s how Darren probably likes people to think.
But the passing of time isn’t making things easier, rather the opposite. Despite Darren having a large family, it’s not a close family, both in geographic terms and personal terms. Darren’s dad was always the heart of the family, Darren used to think of him as like the Sun, with his children the the planets, circulating round him and while he was around that was always how it would be, but now that Sun as gone, the planets are spinning away in all directions. Because of COVID Darren did almost all his grieving alone, 4 months later people are less concerned and he’s still grieving alone.
Fortunately he has me, pets should never be under estimated in how much they can help in stressful times and as much as I need Darren for pretty much everything he would probably admit to you that he needs me too.