Second Chances: a Coincidences novel

Chapter 22: High Time

We flew to Lebanon a lot sooner than we anticipated so we could attend George's memorial service.

His sisters Sandrine and Nadine were there, devastated by the loss they now had to deal with and that I too as well as the people that loved him, had to.

It was hard for me to be here and realistically, I wanted to leave. Only, George was my friend and his loss was hurting me deep down. I felt tears streaming down my face, Khaled and Kitana both holding either hand. Jabal as well as Hassan and his family, Cielo, and even Taline were also here, as moral support for all of us.

My uncle was crying too, as were my aunt and my cousins.

The service ended and Sandrine and Nadine came up to me. I had physically met them on several occasions, though most of our interactions were done via video chat since I was living in Los Angeles at the time.

Sitting here, a rain of images flooded my mind. I still remembered the times he visited me, and not only because he was in town. He would visit me on purpose and without any 'I'm gonna be in the area for something and I'd like to stop by'. He made me a destination as my uncle, aunt, and cousins did.

It was what I loved and appreciated about him.

The service was getting to me and I was getting stir-crazy because this was too sad and too devastating. But I was going to sit through it because he was one of my best friends and I wanted to honor his memory in any way possible. I owed him this much despite how much this was hurting me.

After the service finished, his sisters came up to me, with tear-filled eyes.

"Thank you for coming" said Sandrine.

"I'm happy to be here" I said. "I just don't know what I'm going to do with him being..." I started crying. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay" Nadine said and the three of us hugged one another.

"We'll get through this" said Sandrine. "I'm devastated but my brother would not want any of us to mourn him forever. He would want us to be happy and he also included you in his will in case anything were to happen to him."

"Wills, wills, wills...I am so sick of these things" I cleared my eyes. "I received one from my dad after his passing, and it only ever reminds me of what I have lost. Whether it's money, jewelry, or something else, I'm not sure I'm entitled to it."

"Yes, you are. He told us to make sure a portion of his fortune went to you too. He saw a lot of potential in you and you proved that when you sang with your uncle" said Nadine.

"You saw that?"

"Yes, we both did" she smiled, though it was laden with pain. "You have a gift, a talent and he saw that as did your uncle."

"I don't know if I can accept this."

"You have to. In memory of him and he left this for you because he not only cared about you but he loved you too. To him, you were like a little brother and if you don't take what he left you, the government will just take it and we don't want that. You're entitled to receive the money he left you" Nadine reiterated.

Thinking about it, I decided to accept what he left me. If he did, it was because he clearly saw me as more than a simple friend.

We finished conversing and we all went back to the house. It felt odd being back here after being aware for so long but it wasn't that the memories felt distant from when I was here but more that it felt as if I never left. As if I had been standing here this whole time.