Goodbye, Brother

Some people think that when life is going great nothing bad is going to happen. It's like they feel like they're invincible, but the truth is, that only happens in stories. The story I'm about to tell you is no story, but it's a moment that was a part of my life and it started with a beautiful Sunday morning. My sister and I were watching the news and suddenly in bold letters, the tv said:

"BREAKING NEWS: Flight 316 that was heading from Miami, Florida to Scranton, Pennsylvania crashed in Charleston, South Carolina this morning at 12:36 am. There is no evidence on how or why the plane had crashed as the police are still investigating the scene. The only information we've received is that the pilot and six other passengers survived this deadly plane crash. Here is some footage of the accident."

CRASH was all you heard when the video began, flames and glass shattering coming from the plane. I was so petrified because my older brother was on a flight coming from Miami last night. He was on an end of the school year trip with his class for the first week of summer break and we're supposed to come back last night, but never did. We just thought it was a flight delay. My heart was beating faster than a cheetah. I asked my mom if he was on that plane. "Maybe not," she answered giving me a sincere look.

The doorbell rang.....

My mom ran to the door and answered it. A police officer was standing there with his hat in his hand. "Is everything okay, officer?"

"You may want to sit down for a second," He says giving me my sister and I a sad look.

"Oh no," My sister, Cat, whispered.

"This is going to be hard and I don't know how you're going to take it, but I am the Officer who found your son and I wanted to tell you this myself because I was there when it happened. I'm sorry to say this but your son died from too much blood lost last night. There were shards of glass in his skin and a chunk of it was really close to his heart. We were able to airlift him to the hospital but by the time we got there he was already close to death. He gave me a piece of paper that I have to give to his youngest sister. His last words were Goodnight. His time of death was at 2:28 am."

My mom broke out crying while my dad tried to comfort her. The Officer handed me the note but I didn't read it yet. He also handed my mom something shiny. She looked at it and started crying even harder than before. She handed it to me. It was a necklace that I gave him for his birthday last year, it was engraved with the words, "Best Big Brother Ever." It was half a heart, I had the other half that said, "Best Lil' Sister Ever." The next few nights were really painful. At night, the cries of my mom would fill the hallways. She was taking his death the worst, having your first and only son die at the age of sixteen was a lot to take in. I never read the letter he sent me because it was too painful.

~

It's been two weeks and today was the day of his funeral. It was pouring outside so last minute we had to change it we could have it inside. I was asked to speak at his funeral because I was really close to him, but I was the last to talk. I couldn't come up with anything because I was still shaken up from his death, so I just decided to read the note he left me. They wanted to make the funeral happy because they didn't want him to see us in grief, but I told them that he likes things to be traditional. The way he would of have wanted it.

"Dian, it's your turn." James, Ian's best friend said to me. He was like another brother to me. He and Ian have been best friends since James ate Ian's blue crayon in the first grade. Eventually, when I got older, Ian would always bring him after school and I would always hang out with them and eventually he became my friend too.

I got up and took out the neatly folded paper. I took out the paper and began to read,

"Dear Dian,

So I guess this is goodbye, but worry I'll still be in your memories and heart. I wrote this when we left to Florida because I had a feeling that I wouldn't be here for much longer. I just wanted to tell you guys you'll always be in my heart.

Tell mom and dad that they've been the best role models for me and that I love them with all my heart. Tell them that I appreciate them even thought I failed a lot, they never gave up on me and I am thankful for that.

Tell Cat that she's been the best big sister and that she shouldn't change for anyone and that I love her. Tell her that to never to give up on her dreams like she told me to never to give up on mine.

Tell James that he's been a wonderful best friend and that I've been in love with him since the seventh grade. Yes, I'm bisexual and in love with James Bradford. I was just too much a baby to say it.

And the best for last, Dian. Thanks for keeping every secret I have ever told you and keeping all your promises. I want you to thank you for being the only one to listen to me when I was depressed. I thought I was supposed to be your protector but if anything you protected me from all of my monsters and demons. I love you but just remember it's okay to be scared, it's okay to be angry, it's okay to be hurting, it's okay to grow up, it's okay to forgive, it's okay to move on and it's okay to miss what you had. Goodnight.

Sincerely, Ian"

Once I was James ran up to me and gave me a hug. Everyone else was either crying or trying not to cry. I walked off the stage as they closed his casket. James and five other I'd Ian's friends carried the casket outside and lowered it into the rectangular hole the ground. Everyone started putting red roses on his casket. I was the last to put my white rose because I knew they were his favorite. I dropped it into the casket and whispered: "Goodbye, Brother".