The Days Before I Died - A Short Story

Epilogue

One Month Later

We stared down at the headstone together, a bouquet of lilies in my hand. Parks mentioned Aiden had loved them, so I made sure to grab the biggest bouquet of them I could find. I may have fought a middle-aged woman in the grocery store for them, but it was worth it.

I was now in remission and completely healed up from my operation. After over a year of battling cancer, it felt so good to feel like myself again. Finally, I could do everything I'd been missing out on. My hair was steadily growing back, now in a cute, short style that I didn't dare attempt to hide - my red beanie long forgotten.

Reading the name on the headstone, I had that person to thank.

Aiden Gerald Parks.

Beloved son and friend.

If I could see him now, the first thing I would be bringing up is his middle name being Gerald. Come on.

I could almost picture him clearly showing me his middle finger.

Aiden hadn't shown himself since that last time at the hospital. I liked to think he was too busy helping yet another patient to spend his time with me, but I still missed him and his stupid, smug smirk.

I looked over to my right, watching Parks as he stood tall over his son's grave. It was obvious he was reflecting on the days when Aiden was still here. I knew no matter how much time passed, he would never not miss his son.

Leaning down, I picked up an old set of flowers from the gravestone's small flower holder, replacing them with the new ones. Noticing the grave beside Aiden's, I paused.

Grace Harriett Parks.

Loving daughter, wife and mother.

I stared for a moment before I reached for the lilies again, splitting them up into two bouquets, placing the second set on Grace's stone.

Parks watched me in silence, the corner of his lips lifting up when I stood.

"They were so alike, those two." He finally spoke, his fist under his chin as he stared between the gravestones of the two people who meant most to him. "Hilarious and so sure of themselves, yet the most thoughtful and kindhearted people you would ever meet."

I remained silent, just listening as he reminisced.

"I'd do anything to see either of them just one more time."

Looking away, my eyes becoming watery, I noticed movement several feet in front of us. Narrowing my eyes and blinking away my tears, I smiled when my vision focused on the figure.

He stood, leaning slightly on a gravestone as he watched his father with a contemplative expression. When his gaze met mine, he grinned, sending me a silly wave before he faded into a white mist. The mist slowly traveled towards us before morphing into a white butterfly, landing on Aiden Parks' gravestone, right before his father's eyes. Seconds later, a baby blue one did the same over his wife's.

A single tear rolled down Evan Parks' aged, yet handsome face. And he smiled.

Everything will be okay.