IanG

You could cut 'by any stretch of the imagination' and still convey the essential point. Nonetheless its a good portrayal of a man too proud to ask for help. Our culture puts a lot of pressure on us to be perfect but few if any of us are.

That was very thoughtful Skie.

In paragraph seven, would it be better if the girl was hugging her doll for comfort rather than playing with it? That seems more plausible given that she's just suffered a terrible loss. A poor family might well have to keep working through the shock but they'd be feeling upset, just having to carry on in spite of that. Keep practising and you'll master that.

She tried to break the silence. But it did not.
If she's spoken she's broken the silence. Try "she tried to get through to me, but she couldn't " or "she tried to elicit a response from me, but couldn't."

The rest of it is excellent, atmpspheric, plausible with a touch of mystery.

You write better than some men twice yoir age. You blend vivid descriptions and plausible relationships.

An intriguing, passionate start. Time will show how it develops, but the first two instalments should draw people in.

No one I know is perfect we all have human flaws. If there's a God he must know that. No one has all the answers, so its no shame if you havn't.

If this is inspired by a berevement in real life then I feel for you. My mother passed away a few years ago and it was terrible for me. You learn to cope but part of you will miss het for a long time.