White Roses and Black Coffee

Remebering

Nick followed silently behing me as I studied the other graves. Some farther away from Cicely's grave were nearly one hundred years old, and they were weathered and crumbling. Nobody had put flowers there in a long time so only weeds grew near the headstones. I dropped to my knees by the nearest one and began angrily tearing the weeds away to reveal slightly damp words.

"Vale erit in ipsum."

It meant, "Farewell, she will be missed."

I slumped down farther and studied Nick, who was watching his family as they said goodbye to each other and the cars began to depart. Like rain. I thought. Just flowing away like nothing ever happened. When he turned back to me he looked haggard, more hurt than I'd ever seen him before in my life. I jumped to my feet and stepped around the headstone to where he was standing.

"Lets go get some coffee."

He nodded and I grabbed his hand and pulled him to his car, one of the only ones left. He opened the door for me and I slid in before we were off down the road heading toward Mama Rio's. It'd been our favorite hangout since before Cicely and I were in secondary school. Nick had showed us the old coffee house after a particularly bad day of fourth grade. Olivia Price had dumped a bowl of rice onto my head during lunch that day and when Cicely had stood up for me Olivia had pulled her hair and called her an ugly cow.

Nick had bought us both a chocolate chip cookie and a juice and listened while we animatedly recounted all our misfortunes. Then, of course, he'd been in seventh grade and ready to fight Olivia's older brother. We'd talked him down but he'd not been happy. Ever since then we'd gone to the cafe everyday after school to do homework and eventually to work. After Nick left we went once and agreed that it wasnt' the same without him there.

As we walked to the front counter in Mama Rio's Mrs. Incitti, the owner, greeted us and gushed over how old Nick had gotten since the last time he came in. She was cheery the entire time, but she slipped in a quick hug to the both of us before yelling at the freshman behind the counter to get two black coffees and disappearing into the back room. She still remembered our orders, something Nick and I did not share with Cicely.

We liked our coffee completely black.

Another short chapter, but I updated really quick so you can't be angry! Love you little wattpandas!