Adolescence

Chapter 6

The days leading up to the funeral were a blur. The Easterly family felt empty. There was a gaping hole left where John Easterly used to be and they could feel it in everything they did. Collins could barely look at her teenage brother without seeing the man who used to protect her from all the harm in the world. Mitch hadn't been to the study since he had to break the news to his best friend. His heart was heavy for the family. He tried to distract Collins from the grief and the fact that a twenty-two-year-old girl was now planning a funeral. He tried to take over most of the planning himself, but Collins stopped him. The distraction was what she needed. Jack stopped songwriting, at least for the time being. He put his girlfriend's feelings before his own. He held her when she needed it, he watched her breakdowns. He watched her scream and cry in their apartment. He saw her break when she couldn't hold it together anymore.

The funeral was completely packed. Her father had such an impact on everyone's life. The Easterly family had moved so many times that people from all over came to pay their respects to the man they used to call their friend. Speaker after speaker went up to the stage to say a few words, but Collins realized no one was capturing the true essence of what a great man he was. Taking a deep breath, she slowly stood up to make her way to the podium. Her legs were shaking under her and she felt as if she was going to collapse. She could feel everyone's eyes on her as she gripped the podium trying to hold herself up. With a shaky breath, she began slowly,

"My father, my protector, my friend. He was so much more than words can ever begin to explain," She looked around the room at everyone in attendance. She saw her aunts, uncles, the few cousins she had. She saw her dad's old work friends mixed up with his college friends. She saw old neighbors from everywhere they once lived. But then she froze. She saw old neighbors...she saw Anne. The lady who once acted like a mother towards her. The lady who took care of her when she was down when her own mother acted incapable. Her strong facade that she tried to put on for her speech collapsed. The tears openly flowed as she continued,

"He was the heart of our family. He was the joy, the pride, the soul of the Easterlys. We always knew that the end was coming, and I guess for a while we distracted ourselves. He always talked about my wedding. Told me I was never allowed to get married. He could never share his best girl with someone else," She let out a small chuckle at this, trying to lighten the mood. "I would look back at him, and I would always respond with, 'Dad, I'll always be your best girl, but I'm sure you'll want to get rid of me at some point.' To which he would always say, 'I could never leave you.' I stand here now realizing that even though he's gone, even though I will not have my father to walk me down the aisle at my wedding, I will not have my father to give me away, he did not leave me. He is with me in everything I do. He will still hold my hand during every milestone of my life and of Cole's life. He is gone, but we are not alone. I know at this moment he wouldn't want us to cry. He's looking down on us, and where he is everything is good and pure, and he's looking down on us knowing we will be alright. And I for one, cannot wait to, one day see him again. I love you Dad. " Collins ended looking up. There was not a dry eye in the crowd as she made her way back to her seat. Her brother squeezed her hand as she sat behind him, in between Jack and Mitch.

Collins will always say the hardest part was after the funeral. Everyone came up to her and told her what a great guy her father is and how strong she was. She knew she wasn't strong, but that's not what they wanted to hear. It became even harder when she spoke to Anne. She tried to avoid it, but with Anne, she will most likely always get her way. The first thing she did was pull the girl into the largest hug she could offer. "Collins," She began,

"Please, I can't do sympathy right now," Collins looked up at the woman, feeling nothing but trust.

"Honey, I just need to know how you've been doing. That you're okay," Anne told her, her motherly side making an appearance.