When Lightning Strikes

When Lightning Strikes: Chapter 27

To say I was nervous was an understatement. Today was the day we would say goodbye to Aubrey.

All night, I had been crying. I was exhausted. My body felt weak and I had a headache. Mom had given me some Panadol for the pain, but it was still there. Also, I had been working hard to write a little speech. I didn’t feel worthy of saying one though. It was only something small and I didn’t think it was good enough to partake in Aubrey’s grand funeral.

I had already slipped into black dress. My shoulders, collarbones and arms were covered with intricate lace and opaque stockings protected my legs from the cold. On my head sat a black headpiece. It was similar to a beret with a flower sitting on top. My blonde hair had been pulled back into a side ponytail and I had rubbed on some concealer to cover my eye bags.

I rarely wore black, as it was such a depressing colour. I truly felt like a girl in mourning. You’d think for a funeral they’d want everyone to dress in yellow so it’d be cheerful, but no …

In my palms was a crumpled piece of paper, which contained my speech. I sighed as I read through it. It was pathetic. The theme had been ‘memories’.

There was a knock on the door. I walked over to open it and there stood my dad. I took the sight of him in. His hair was neatly pomaded to the right and his skin was gaunt. He had lost a bit of weight since Aubrey’s death, so his suit (that he had worn in his younger days) fit him. His tie was a deep red, which reminded me especially of Aubrey.

“Hey Cee,” he greeted. “How’s my girl?”

I leant into my dad’s embrace. “I’m alright. What about you?”

He sighed. “You know your dad’s always going to be ok. Now why don’t we head out? Your mother’s ready.”

I grabbed my purse and followed dad. Mom was standing on the porch, staring at the sky. When she saw us, she smiled faintly.

“Let’s get into the car,” dad announced.

It felt so different without Aubrey here. Whenever we attended functions together as a family, we’d all fit into the car. Now, the backseat seemed empty. It was only me. There was no sister beside me to talk to.

When we arrived at the church, we found that the Levine’s were already there. All dressed in black and huddling together, it looked like they were comforting Jason.

“Gracie!”

It was Stella, rushing up to me. Even on this day, she still managed to look gorgeous in her sleek dress. Her hair was left down and in her usual waves with a large black bow.

“Oh my god, I haven’t seen you in so long!” she exclaimed, hugging me tightly. “How are you?”

I let out a sigh. “I’ll be alright.”

Stella’s eyes were full of pity, making me look away. “Look, why don’t you come inside? It’s decorated perfectly. Aubrey would love it.”

It hurt when she said that. In truth, Stella and Cale hadn’t liked my sister very much, but I was glad she was kind-hearted enough to feel bad about everything. She led me away from the entrance and I caught a glimpse of Jason’s tired face. It seemed like his face had aged by years, but he still looked handsome to me. I desperately wanted to cling to him and never let go. But that wasn’t possible.

“Wow,” was the first word which came out of my mouth. The hall was exactly how I imagined it, but my face fell when I saw the open casket up ahead. My eyes widened. “What’s … what’s Aubrey’s coffin doing there?”

Stella touched my arm. She looked at me like I was a fragile doll. “Your parents decided to have an open casket so everyone could say their goodbyes.”