Crying. That's all I knew for the next week. Only it wasn't my own, it was Max's. She slept with Mandy and I all week, crying throughout the night. Mandy's parents helped out as much as they could. They were planning the funeral, which was being held today. They offered to have an open casket but I declined. Max is already having a hard time coping and seeing her aunt dead would just make it worse.
We were currently all getting ready, Mandy was helping me tie my tie. When she was done, her hands ran down my chest. She sighs, looking up at me.
"Are you gonna be okay today?" I press my lips together with a sigh.
"I have to be."
"Ian, it's okay to cry too. Max won't think any less of you if you do." I shake my head.
"It's not about that. It's about her needing me. She needs me more than ever now. Ashley left us everything. And she even made a trust fund for Max to receive when she's 18. She's still with us in a bunch of ways. And I have a feeling she always will be."
"Of course she will. Come here." She wraps her arms around my waist and my arms automatically go around her shoulders. She sighs into my chest. "My brave man."
———
"Ladies and gentleman, we are gathered here to honor the memory of Ashley Torres. She was a friend, a coworker, a wife at one point, and most importantly to her, she was an aunt. She was, and always will be, the best aunt that Ian and Max could have asked for. She supported them and helped them through some major tough times this past year. And although they just met about a year ago, she changed their lives for the better. She helped out my own daughter Amanda, even though she barely knew. She has been a close friend of mine for only two short years but she made an impact on my heart, along with everyone else in this room. If she were here right now, she'd yell at everyone to stop crying and wasting tears on her. So today, just as she would've wanted, we do not mourn her. We honor her. Along with every happy memory we have left with her. So now I'll let everyone say their 'see you later's so we can lay her to rest peacefully. Thank you all for coming today."
As Amanda's mom concludes, I hug Max tight to my chest as she cries. I gave up on trying to wipe them away because they'd surely be replaced by another. I watch as everyone goes up the casket, speaking to the large picture of her as if were actually her, like we all had wished it were.
My aunt was a strong woman. She battled cancer for two years and went down fighting. And after all that, her last words to me were to never give up and to live a life away from my past. And that will stick with me forever.
As the car parade starts, we all pile into Mandy's car. She offered to drive, not knowing how I would be doing. Which I'm glad she did because when two policemen, who we didn't hire, pull forward to lead the parade, that's when I begin to cry. She was really gone. And there was nothing I could do to bring her back.
When we reach the gravesite, I immediately find my place beside the casket. Men gather around the casket, Amanda's father and I at the front. We walk slowly to the tent sitting above her grave. When we place her down, my heart brakes. I press my hand to the top of the casket.
"Thank you, Ash. This year might have been tough but you made it better. I can only hope to see you again one day," I whisper. Then I step back, taking my place next to Mandy. Max clutches Mandy's arm tightly. The preacher begins talking.
The words are muffled out in my mind as I stare at the wooden box. Workers come forward, placing a large bouquet over the top. Thank God that Mandy's mom was able to help me with the funeral. I don't know what I would've done without it.
"Ian, would you like to say anything?" The preacher asks me, snapping me out of my trance. I wipe a tear that's fallen and look around, seeing everyone looking at me with sad eyes. I fiddle with my fingers and look down, then back up.
"Uhm." I pause, trying to get my words together. Nerves and tears threaten to destroy me as I do so. When Mandy takes my hand in hers, my nerves disappear. The tears still threaten to fall, but I can deal with tears. "Ash was the truest person I've ever met. She was strong down to the day that she left us. Her last words to me was her telling me that I wasn't my father, her brother. And to marry the girl I love." I glance over at Mandy who shoots me a comforting smile. I look back at everyone else. "She was sassy, just like my daughter Max here. But most importantly, she held so much love in her heart." I laugh with tears in my eyes, switching my feet position. "I remember her speaking of a time when she went to a friend's wedding and there was and old man, who had lost his wife, sitting by the dance floor. She went over and asked him to dance. That old man told her that night that she reminded him of his late wife when they first met. Ash was a beacon of hope. She still is, to me. And she always will be."
When I conclude, a few more words are spoken by the preacher. Then, my aunt is laid to rest deep into the ground.
YOU ARE READING
Blind Fate
Teen FictionIan Mitchell seemed to be average. He seemed to have himself and his life put together. Until him and his girlfriend were in a horrific car accident. He fell off the wagon, looking like he would never recover. When obstacles are put in his way, he's...
