Crazy Little Thing Called Love

The Funeral Part 2 Or The Last Goodbye

Hi everyone, I'll try to write a bit more happy stuff from now on. :) I hope you like the chapter. I actually cried while I wrote this because it reminded me of my granddad's funeral and the one of my godmother. All the love, as always, Summer xxx

The service was beautiful. My mum and I had picked out my dad's favourite songs and the minister who was doing the service told some funny anecdotes and stories which made us all laugh or at least smile from time to time. "And now Claire, Richard's daughter, would like to say a few words." I let go of Louis' and Harry's hands and hesitantly made my way up to the front. I hated public speaking, but this was something I needed to do and I knew that my dad would have appreciated it. The minister gave me an encouraging smile before he sat down at the side. Looking around at the faces, some familiar and some completely unfamiliar, I nervously cleared my throat and caught Harry's eyes who gave me an encouraging nod.

"My dad was one of the best people I know. He was kind, compassionate, brave, funny and always treated everyone with respect, no matter who they were and what they had done. That is one of the qualities I admired most about him. He always had something kind to say and saw the good in people, especially when they couldn't see it themselves." I looked at my mum who nodded and wiped her eyes with a tissue, before I continued. "I never thought I would have to say goodbye so quickly. My dad was my biggest role model and my mentor and I am so thankful for everything he taught me over the years, from how to ride a bike to how to never give up and chase my dreams." I let out a shaky breath and closed my eyes for a second to compose myself. 

"We have lost an amazing human being, we lost a friend, a brother, a son, an uncle, a husband and a dad. I would like to read you two things which sum up how I feel right now. The first one is from my favourite TV show, the Vampire Diaries, something that my dad always teased me about, because let's face it, who could possibly care about vampires, werewolves and witches to a point where you would sit crying in your room because a character died? He actually walked in on me once and thought I had a serious problem and then started laughing at me when he found out that one of my favourite characters had died. To be fair, he did hug me and made me a cup of tea afterwards." I smiled a bit at the memory and a couple of people chuckled.

"Anyway, this is the first thing I want to read and I thing it sums up how many of us are feeling right now. It's something my favourite character said after his best friend died. 'Because in the end, when you lose somebody, every candle, every prayer is not gonna make up for the fact that the only thing you have left  is a hole in your life where that somebody that you cared about used to be.'" My tears were threatening to spill over and when I looked at my mum again, I saw that tears were silently running down her face. I cleared my throat and continued.

"The second thing I would like to read you is something I wrote myself. It's called 'The Bells'." I caught Louis' eyes and he gave me an encouraging nod and then looked over to Harry who mouthed "You can do this." Taking a deep breath, I started to read my poem. 

"Listen, listen!

Can't you hear the bells?

- They ring!

Black, just black, wherever you look

Don't you know what they took?

They took him

My mentor, my guide and my friend

They took him

He, who will never speak again

He's gone now, gone

Never coming back

And we stand here

Mourning, all wearing black

But listen, listen!

Don't you cry no more

For he's gone not very far at all!

We'll always keep him here

Right in our hearts

As we move on with our loves

But never forget him,

His strength, kindness and caring heart."

I didn't dare to look at anyone in the room and kept my eyes down while I walked back to my seat. "Thank you, Claire, that was very beautiful." said the minister and then asked everyone to stand up for a prayer. I squeezed in between Harry and Louis and immediately felt Louis' hand wrap itself around my own, giving me the support I needed. The prayer started and I felt myself shaking a little bit, until a warm, big hand was placed on my lower back, providing a subtle comfort. 

"Thank you everyone. This last song was chosen by Martha who would like to ask you to join her and Claire for a last goodbye outside." Everyone kept standing and silently watched as four men in black suits walked up to the front and hoisted my dad's coffin onto their shoulders. Craig Armstrong's 'Glasgow Love Theme' was playing in the background and I was desperately clinging onto Louis, Harry close on my other side, as I followed my mum and the coffin outside into the cemetery. 

Everyone else followed us silently and watched as my dad was put to his final rest. My mum was the first one to step up to the coffin and carefully threw a single white rose on top of my dad's coffin, before she stepped aside. I let go of Louis, knowing that I had to do this on my own. Slowly, I walked up to the grave and let a white envelope with a goodbye letter fall into the grave. "Goodbye, dad." I whispered silently, before I walked over to my mum and pulled her into a tight hug, trying to take away a bit of the pain she was feeling while my heart was aching so much that I felt like I was gonna break down every second myself, but I didn't allow myself to cry, not when I wasn't sure if I could ever stop.

"Thank you for joining us today, there will be tea and coffee in the parish hall for everyone who would like to stay for a bit." The minister told everyone and everyone slowly made their way over to the house next to the chapel, quietly talking among themselves. "Mum?" I asked quietly and she let go off me and looked up. "I don't think I can do this right now. Would you mind if I went home?" She gave me a weak smile and shook her head. "No, honey, I'll be fine. You take care of yourself and maybe take your friends with you?" she suggested and gave me a kiss on the cheek, before she walked over to my grandparents and guided them into the house.

I looked around and waved Lily, Niall, Louis and Harry over to where I was standing. Lily pulled me into a tight hug and the others followed her example. "Thank you, guys. It really means a lot that you came." I admitted quietly and looked around. "Of course are here for you, love." Louis assured me and pulled me into his side, pressing a light kiss to my forehead. "I can't go in there right now and my mum suggested to go back to our place and maybe watch a movie, or just talk or something?" I asked them and when everyone agreed, we split up into two groups, Niall and Lily in his car and Harry, Louis and me in the other one.

"Are okay, love?" asked Harry from the driver's seat and looked at me through the rear-view mirror. I thought about this for a few seconds before I gave him a smile, not a big one, but a smile that reached my eyes. "I will be." 

A.N. The first thing Claire reads is from The Vampire Diaries, 6x02, and the second one is something I wrote myself for my granddad's funeral.