RAISING SUMMER

PINKY PROMISE

I approached flowers in hand nervously as I read the name

Rachel Elaine Barrett.
Loving Daughter, Sister and Mother.
February 5th 1994 - April 3rd 2018

I sat in the grass and took a deep breath retrieving the crumpled pieces of paper from 4 months ago and one from 18 years ago. The words I never said my hands shook.

I remembered it like it was yesterday, Jane and Rachel's plans for the future.

"What's a time capsule?" I said.

"I don't know, it sounded cool though. You're supposed to throw stuff you like and stuff that's important and open it up when you're 100 or something." Rachel explained her golden hair shining in the summer sun. She hurried to the box on the ground pulling me along. "First we need to make a list." She pulled out her flower pen enthusiastically.

"A list? For what?" I scrunch my nose up.

"What we want to do when we're old silly!" She laughs.

"Well then I want to be a baker!" I cheered.

"A baker? You can't even make toast!" She reasoned.

"I told you my toaster is broken!" I rolled my eyes.

"I want to be a wedding planner like in the movies!" She smiled.

"What next?" I asked.

"Get married to Ben." She wrote with a flourish. "Who do you want to get married to?"

"Ooo I want to get married to Shawn Hunter." I stared dreamily.

"Shawn hunter? From Boy Meets World?"

"What?" She shook her head.

"Next I want kids, preferably 10!" She smiled deviously.

"10 kids!" My mouth hung open dramatically.

"Yes and you have to have 10 too so everyone has a best friend!"

"Uhhhg fine." I sighed. "Only if we can go to Paris!"

"Ooh yeah." She nodded. "Be each other's maid of honor!"

"Obviously!" I chuckled.

"Always be best friends! Pinky promise!" We exchanged pinky's"

We placed our list in the box along with our friendship bracelets and a few other tokens and buried the box.

My throat burned as my fingers traced her chicken scratch handwriting. And began reading out loud.

With the circumstances regarding losing Rachel I never got the chance to say goodbye to her. So in honor of celebrating her, the person I loved more than anyone in the world, I would like to say goodbye to her directly.

"Rachel, I never knew that soulmates were real until I met you. Funny and naive as I was I thought they were stickly romantic but you proved me wrong. I feel like I was made with no other purpose in life other than to be your best friend. I could and did spend years with you and knowing that you're gone now, I know that it will never be enough. You made everything brighter when I was lost in the dark. You made me laugh when I felt like crying. My sister, the other half of my soul since we were 2 years old. I love you so much and I don't know how to live without you." I choked.

"I dug up this list that we made." I chuckled. "We were only halfway through it but I'll finish it for the both of us." I sighed. "It's hard to live without you but I can do it for you and Summer. You will forever be my best friend even if I can't see you, hear your laugh, cry with you. There is no distance earthly or not that will change that."

I placed her matching friendship bracelet on her grave placing my hand on her gravestone and lost it.

"I love you Rachel."