That Boy from Class

Funeral Speech

"Ethan was a good boy. He would always do his chores without being told and he would never miss school even when he was sick. He was very responsible. When he saw someone in need, he'd always help out."

Mrs. Lennings continued to go on about how wonderful her son was. She didn't look at all like she suffered a great loss. Her eyes were only puffy but not exactly swollen. She spoke with pride about all the good things Ethan had done. When it came to the part about his heroic and so -called selfless act on the day of the accident, she looked up to the gray sky while saying, "Though I've watched him grow up, I never thought he was capable of something like that. Ethan was a hero."

After her speech, I was called up to say a few words about Ethan, tell them what kind of person he was and why he did what he did. Unfortunately, I had nothing to say.

"Greetings to all of you. My name is Avery Jameson. As you may already know, I was the person Ethan... saved from the accident. I..." I paused for a moment, realizing I had nothing to say about myself that concerned him. "I'm sorry. I know I'm supposed to talk about Ethan but I really don't know him well. He and I were schoolmates but nothing more than that. I don't think I've ever spoken to him before. I have never talked about him before the incident. In all honesty, before it all happened, he was a stranger to me."

I looked at the people at the funeral, half-expecting them to throw tomatoes at me or pull me off the stage. They never did though. The simply stared at me, probably due to my frankness about the situation. "All I know is that he lost his life to save a stranger like me. I don't know why he did it. I wish I did." With one last glance at his friends and family, I said, "The only thing I can say to Ethan is, thank you."

I walked down the platform, passing by Mr. and Mrs. Lennings. I tried to look at them through my shame. "I'm really sorry I couldn't give a decent speech for your son." Mr. Lennings patted my shoulder saying, "We can't blame you for not knowing him. You were being honest and we respect that." Mrs. Lennings smiled at what her husband said.

I felt confused. I expected them to be furious or at the very least, disappointed at me. They should have been angry at me for taking away their only son. But they didn't. All they did was smile. They even forgave the driver who hit Ethan. The man was not drunk or anything. He was just distracted by a phone call.

The rest of the funeral went on as solemnly as possible. Many were crying but I was not among them. Even Ethan's parents finally cried but it was only because they realized that they would never see their beloved son again. The driver of the car that killed Ethan was there too. He looked as if he was holding his tears. It was obvious he regretted what he did to the boy. 

Time came when all of us at the funeral had one last look at Ethan. When my turn came, I took in every feature of his face. The cuts and gashes from the accident were neatly hidden but there was one thing they did not change. The smile on his face. The smile he gave when he was dying in my arms.