I chose to wear a black dress with sandals and a purple headband that mum bought me for my birthday.
People started coming in and embracing me, Carly and dad and big bear hugs, obviously pitying us. I wish that they would stop.
After everyone was seated outside her gravestone under a tent, the priest started talking.
"Today we join together to celebrate the life of Mrs Julie Coltman. A loving wife and mother of 2 beautiful girls, Carly and Suzanne. She was an explosives inventor, whose life ended 3 weeks ago when her latest model had a malfunction, causing a fatal explosion. May she rest in peace.
Dear lord,
Please be with Julie's family as they go through the hardest time of their lives. May Julie Coltman be with you, forever in peace and in a place with no sin or pain.
Amen." He ended.
"Amen" a few people mumbled.
"We will now here from Carly Coltman, Julie's eldest daughter."
Carly looked pale. She was nervous, sad, grieving, and missing mum. This was going to be hard.
"2 years ago I completed my HSC. Mum was there every step of the way. From August when I had to perform my piano and French horn solos for music, sing at the graduation mass, do english extension, history, comerse, catholic religion, PDHPE, and mathematics extension 2, mum helped me through all of them, while helping Suzie complete her final year of primary school. She tested me and pushed my boundaries of what I new. She stayed up late with me studying, she had my back and wasn't going to give up on me even after I gave up on myself. Last year I enrolled in Sydney University. Mum has not let me hand in a single assignment without her checking and improving it. She is always there for me, urging me to do better than what I thought I was capable of. She had a way of" at that point she started crying uncontrollably "proving that no matter what you think of yourself, what you really are is way better." She walked off and everyone quietly clapped.
"Thank you for that inspiring speech miss Coltman." Said the priest bowing his head slightly to see my sister over his glasses, "I do believe that Julie's youngest daughter Suzie has made a presentation for us." I stepped forward and pressed play on my laptop and the whole wall at the front lit up with mum, me Carly and dad all smiling at Disneyland. The backing track was mum's favourite song Flame Trees, by Cold Chisel. Now there were lots of photos running through as the song continued. When flame trees ended, her favourite classical piece, horn concerto by Mozart came on.
I chose to do a slide show presentation because really thinking about mum is hard enough, let alone talking about her in front of 50 people. I've always thought that when something really sad happens that the best way to help that situation is to see or remember something really happy. But today I proved myself wrong. The more I saw her face, the more I longed for her to be back here with me. All the pictures of my happy family made me cry so hard that I just wanted it to be over. When it finally decided to finish, I looked around and most the room was crying. The priest, who also had teary eyes stepped up and gave another brief speech.
"Well Suzie, I think that touched everyone's heart. Thank you for showing us a piece of your family. I believe that Greg Coltman, Carly Coltman, and Suzanne Coltman would like to give a possession of there's and put it on Julie's coffin. And anyone else is welcome. Please take your time to say your final goodbyes." I put my hand in my purse and pulled out mum's hundred year old version of the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, mum's favourite book in the world. This copy was hers since she was just 6 years old. It is old and starting to fall apart, but mum has kept it clean and treasured and now I decided that it should stay with its rightful owner.
I looked over to Carly and she had mum's music pen that had streaks of silver, opal and gold as the staff, which she always used to edit Carly's assignments and draw sketches of new weaponry with. Mum loved music with a passion. She was forever singing or playing the piano. I would miss that. I caught a glimpse of what dad was holding and new how hard it would be for him to let this one go. He had mum's diary. That was the place where all her thoughts and emotions went when she had to many to deal with. Only dad ever looked in it. It was her way of expressing how she felt, because she couldn't get the courage to say it out loud. It was brown leather with tinted baby pink pages. The pages were made to look torn on the ends and looked very vintage. Dad had given it to mum on their first anniversary mum told me. We slowly walked over and placed our things on the top of the coffin and most people followed, placing roses or other small gifts, like a music book or vase that mum had given them at some point.***
Afternoon tea was served and it was all of mum's favourites. Brownies and cucumber sandwiches without the crust. Tea and mochas. After chatting amongst just about everyone, I walked outside to get some fresh air. The auditorium was beginning to feel squishy.
"Hey." I turned to see Dylan standing behind me. I stared at him for a second, unable to believe that he was here, even though he couldn't come.
"I thought you weren't able to come." I said as he walked beside me.
"I couldn't make it earlier but I am here now. Emma was going to come with me but her netball grand final ran overtime. She won by the way. Her and the team went out for lunch." We stood together until I turned to see him crying silently. I wrapped my arms around him. He was my best friend how could I not? We cried for a while then joined everyone else inside once more.
YOU ARE READING
Why me?
Teen FictionWhen disaster struck Suzie Coltman's family, and her dad and sister are left shattered, what will she do to help them as well as healing herself? And what happens when she meets Reece Grove, a boy who her family doesn't approve of? Will she choose h...