The prayers and speakers went one after the other. His mom, his dad, his best friend since diapers, they asked me to speak, but I gracefully declined telling them everything I needed to say was between Zach and I and he already knew. I looked around the church and saw Emilie and her family, she was jumping around on her dads lap while her mom tried to shush her. I chuckled to myself a little.
It was time to go to the cemetery to bury him. Seeing his casket that had his body in it sitting above a whole that would forever hold him ,like I was supposed to , really hit me hard. It got harder and harder to breathe. I could feel tears falling from my eyes I couldn’t stop. I wanted to scream but I couldn’t so I ran. I ran to the beach. Our spot. I fell to my knees and curled into a ball and just sobbed.
It was getting late, and at that point I had been there for hours. My mom hadn’t came looking for me, probably cause she knew she wouldn’t be able to fix this. The sun was setting and I looked off into the sun and saw a figure in army green. I thought I was going crazy, I thought it was Zach, if only. The figure got closer and closer. When I saw who it was I cried even harder. It was my dad. I stood up and ran up to him and jumped into his arms. “daddy” I said. Crying harder.
“its okay, its going to be okay.” Rubbing my back and putting me down.
“what are you doing here?”I asked
“my daughter needed me, and know she doesn’t believe it but I really care about my beautiful little girl” he said wiping my tears. “and if you really want to ill take you right now to ride a dolphin.” He smiled. I laughed pulling back into a hug. “ I love you” he whispered.
“I love you too” I whispered back. I looked up the beach and saw my mom looking at us smiling.
“what are doing out here anyways, you’re covered in sand” he asked.
“this was Zach and I’s spot. He told me to come here if I ever missed him to come here and he would be here. But I don’t feel him dad. I need to know he’s still here.” I started crying again.
“well, gabby. You saw the Church, zach was loved by many, he has to check on other people too, my guess is he is saving the best for last.” He said.
“I guess” I looked at the ground.
“Zach was a good man, he wouldn’t just leave you like that all alone, I know that’s for sure.” He said. “come on lets go home.”
My mom, dad and I all went home together and had dinner as a family. After, my dad and I went outside to the porch swing. He asked all about things he’s missed, and apologized over and over again. He told me he would make an effort to be here for me more. For once my dad and I were actually getting along for once.
The next day dad went with mom and I to the daycare. He was wearing his army green. I had him meet Emilie.
“Ms. Gabby, you said you lost your knight? But you have one right here?” She said playing with her doll. I looked at my dad and smiled. She was right. I lost one man in my life, but thankfully I have my dad with me still. I still have a knight in army green slaying dragons, as Emilie says, for me. I wish i would have realized sooner how much I needed my father in my life. How much i need my Knight in Army Green.
