VIRTUOSO - A MYG Story

FORTE

FORTE

Strong

The morning of the funeral came quickly, though none of us were truly ready for it. We'd all been spending a lot of time at Jane's house, rotating in shifts, keeping an eye on her. Jin cooked dinner for her, Jimin and Jungkook helped her with her housekeeping. I was still truly stunned at how they'd all jumped to action, coming to her aid like that.

We arrived at the funeral home early that morning. The temperature that day was strangely warmer, and the sun was beginning to melt the snow, teasing that spring was just around the corner. I stood on the sidewalk right outside the doors, waiting as Yoongi approached.

Without saying a word, his arms slipped forward around my waist, pulling me in for a gentle, lingering embrace.

"Oh, my Faye..." he kissed my forehead delicately as tears already began forming in my eyes.

"It's bittersweet, you know?" I started, "Here we are, finally out of this harsh winter. The sun is finally warmer. Soon the flowers will bloom..."

I paused to take a deep breath, trying to stay grounded.

"Yet here we are, saying goodbye..." I said, feeling him suddenly holding me tighter, rubbing my lower back with his thumbs.

"Spring is change. Death is change. Loss is change. Change is also headlining a jazz festival. Change is also finding love. We're going through a season of changes during a literal season change," Yoongi said, his voice suddenly starting to crack, "Not all changes feel good, sweetheart. Sometimes changes hurt... a lot. But we have to welcome all change and find the beauty in it."

Yoongi turned me around, wrapping his arms around my shoulders, facing me towards the rolling hills outside the city.

"Look at how beautiful it is outside today. Roy is showing us that today is not a day to mourn, but a day to celebrate. He had a fulfilling life, surrounded by people who loved him, with a wife who stuck with him 'til the end."

I stood in his arms watching the hillside, soaking up both the moment and his wise words. As the clouds moved across the sky, a sudden burst of golden springtime sun cast across the treetops.

"Thank you, Yoongi," I said softly, "I don't know what I would do without you."

He turned me back around and took me back into his arms so I could lay my head on his chest.

"The good news is..." he kissed me on the forehead, "You don't have to know what you'd do because I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying right here, Faye."

"I know." I whispered.

As we walked in through the doors we saw a large parlor full of people, most of whom were seated in the rows of chairs. There were flowers piled high around the viewing area, and handmade collages of photographs put together by family and friends displayed along the wall. Yoongi and I walked hand-in-hand along the wall, looking over years of photographs of Roy's life - all the way back to his childhood, and all the way up through their last wedding anniversary.

"Wow... This must be Jane and her sisters at Roy and Jane's wedding. What a beautiful photo!" Yoongi loved looking at all of the memories on display and wanted to talk about them, asking questions and pointing at things he saw.