I grabbed the microphone tapping the top of it to make sure it was on as I looked around the diner that grew silent once the tapping got there attention.
"Hi" I said smiling as I looked around the room seeing smiles returned back to me. It was a home feeling for sure. One i faintly had since my parents. "I want to first say thank you all for being able to come out and celebrate this journey that is now not apart of my life anymore. When I first heard that I had it I was scared" I said pausing as I licked my lips looking down at the ground for a moment.
"I was scared because I was already trying to figure what to do with my life after mom and dad, that having this in me the idea that I wasn't going to be able to pull through was obviously something that lingered in me the whole time"
"But I met this beautiful lady who those of you who haven't had the chance to meet, her name is Jeanne" I said looking over at her as she smiled shyly and waved to everybody as they smiled softly back at her. "In ways I heard my mom, it was like you were my guardian angel sent from them to me. Pushing me to get through it and believing in me and just being a shoulder I can lean on during chemo"
"And lord knows I would give this being free of it to you in a heart beat, and I want to thank my grandparents for checking in on me daily I love the both of you more than life itself. And to my second family" I said turning my attention to my friends at the bar as Mads and Maddie where wiping there tears making my eyes water.
"I met Maddie when we were little and reconnecting with her was like finding my long lost sister" I said choking on my words as I pierced my lips holding back my tears. "Then I met Rudy, Chase, JJ, and Austin who have made sure I never lose my smile. Thank you also to Rudy for shaving my head and making sure I didn't think I'd be ugly being bald" I said as everyone laughed softly.
"I love you" Rudy yelled as he clapped making me smile and laugh softly. "Mads for always being there to give me advice in times i doubted myself, Franky my fran" I said smiling at her as she blew me kisses placing the palm of her hand on her heart as she listened to what I was going to say.
"Lord knows I wouldn't be me without you, and finally I want to thank this person for showing me the love I thought I had lost awhile ago and for keeping me afloat these past couple months. For those of you I'm sure who have met him one way or another it's Drew. He always says its me and you, and he showed me that whatever i was going to go through he was going to be there every step of the way."
"I can't thank God enough and I can't thank you all enough for being here with me. Shall we toast?" I said smiling softly as they all clapped and cheered raising their glasses. Rudy running up to me as he handed me a glass of god knows what as he smiled at me and raised his glass as others followed.
"Can I do it?" Rudy said as I nodded smiling as he grabbed the microphone from my hand. "To being a family and to Shay being as brave and strong as she is for kicking cancers butt" He said raising his glass as the others hollered and raised their glasses to one another clinking them before taking sip of their drinks.
As Rudy and I turned to each other clinking our glasses and smiling at each other as we took a sip from our drinks. He set the microphone next to the speaker and turned up the music as we walked back to our friends.
Shut up and dance by walk the moon begins playing
Maddie gasped as she got up from her bar stool as all of us gave her confused looks. "Guys this is like how we met franky and Shay with this song playing we have to go dance come on" she said pulling chase up as the others quickly followed to the dance floor leaving Drew and I.
