Messages on a Coffee Cup

Chapter 25

  I was greeted by hundreds of eyes staring at me in pity as I made my way to the casket. I recognized my cousin and her parents along with a few other familiar faces who observed me and Kim; my mother's body only steps away. My face remained blank, no show of emotion what so ever. I didn't dread the immediate sight of her stiff, motionless corpse. The worst part of it all was the aftermath; the knowing that once the coffin is closed, I would have to rely solely on memories to revisit the lost soul of my deceased mother. Another glance around the room revealed more and more new faces. People, most of whom I did not know, remained huddled, their tear filled eyes fixed on me, my every movement being watched. Finally, my eyes met a very familiar face, one that I had longed to see since the morning of the accident. Dressed in a bright pink long sleeved shirt and blue jeans was the one and only Ethan Colton Abrams. His presence lightened my mood a bit as I kneeled down in front of my mom's

coffin for one last goodbye, entering the dark void of inevitable forgetting. I snuck a flower out from one of the bouquets clustered around her and placed it on her chest. The flower's vast array of petals came together to form one large, beautiful plant, a gerbera daisy.

   She looked so peaceful, lying there with no working conscience to disrupt her endless sleep. The way her closed mouth smiled completely contradicted the way she left this world; happy and serene as opposed to confused and pain stricken.

   It almost seemed as if she died slowly, surrounded by love and family. She looked like she could've sprung back to life any minute. My eyes played a trick on my mind as the rise and fall of her once real and working lungs seemed to emanate from her chest. I slowly closed my eyes and whispered a few words into her pale ear.

   "I don't want to forget you."

   Still caught in the gaze of five hundred pairs of eyes, I reluctantly eased myself up and walked away from my mother leaving Kimberly behind to pay her respects. That was when the tears found their way out of my eyes and began to soak my face, triggered by the thought of forgetting her hugs, her love, her presence, forever. Not remembering the simple things that she would do for me or the length that she would go to in order to protect me.

   I ran out of our visitation room and found my way to the bathroom as I heard someone running after me. I frantically locked myself in a stall and let it all out; shrieks of sorrow filled the musty lavatory air. Suddenly, I heard the bathroom door open and someone walked in. I didn't know who it was but my mind lead me to believe that Kimberly had come to comfort me yet again.

   "Kim, I need sometime to think," I instinctively stated.

   The footsteps got closer and louder, increasing my suspicion and making me open the stall door to reveal the source's identity.

Despite the ladies bathroom sign, Ethan managed to sneak in. I completely swung the door open and slamed myself into him, hugging him tight and never wanting to let go. God, how I'd missed his smell and his stupid goofy smile and his hypnotic blue eyes.

   "I'm sorry," I whispered. "I'm sorry for punching you in the face, again. I'm sorry for making you pay for the coffee. I'm sorry for not havi-"

   My little apology was quickly interrupted by the one thing that would've made me smile even in my current condition; a kiss. I could tell by the way he was holding me and by the way his lips moved against mine that he was sorry too. Sorry for leaving town, sorry for abandoning me in my time of need, and even sorry for walking into the girls bathroom when clearly, he is a dude.

   "I know," he confirmed. "Istillloveyou Holland Summers."

   "Istillloveyoutoo Ethan Abrams, Istillloveyoutoo."

   And with those cheesy words, spoken too fast, we kissed some more until we were rudely interrupted by a panting Kimberly.

   "Holland, you're up," she let out through heavy breaths. "It's eulogy time."