Because of Carly

Trying to Move On but Not Forget

"Keith, are you ready for this? People will understand if you need a minute." Carly asked, taking his hand in hers carefully. He looked at her and smiled gratefully. He cupped her cheeks in his palms and placed his forehead on hers. They were standing outside the funeral home where over a hundred people sat waiting for the Cizneks came in. Samantha and Carly were included in family because ever since Bradley died, they had cooked for them, kept the house clean and just been there to comfort Keith and Cindy. He nodded against her.

"I'm okay. Just hold my hand until I have to go up, okay? Please?" He whispered only to where she could hear.

"Okay. You know I will." She whispered back. He pulled away and they smiled at each other before facing the now opening doors. Carly saw the casket and held in a small gasp. She still couldn't believe her little B was gone. She felt Keith slide his hand into hers, their fingers curling together perfectly. He loved the cold touch of her skin on his warm skin. But as he looked up, he started to tear up again. He cleared his throat and willed the tears to go away until after he spoke and sang. The doormen ushered them in, and they reluctantly started to walk. Cindy and Samantha walked first, then Keith and Carly, then some of the other family and neighbors. They sat down and waited for everyone to settle. A speaker approached the podium and announced that Keith would be giving a speech and singing in his younger brother's honor. Keith squeezed Carly's hand and she squeezed back before letting go. He got up and walked up to the podium slowly. He took a deep breathe, grabbed the mic, and nodded to the man in the sound booth. He was singing "I Drive Your Truck" because Bradley loved that song and Keith told Carly that if Keith had instead of Bradley, Bradley would have sung the same song. After the song ended, Carly could see Keith about to break down. He took a deep breathe, looked at her and nodded. She sent a small smile which seemed to boost his strength a little.

"Bradley, my little brother, he was a hyper one. I remember one time, he asked me to play with him and we played until midnight. Sorry, mom." There was sincere chuckles all over the room. Carly's eyes blurred with tears with she willed them away until after his speech. "He never knew  how much I actually liked playing with him, even if we played the same game every time. He was the hero, and I was the villian. His game had a twist at the end though, the villian would also become a hero and turn to the good side. To Bradley, there was no evil in the world, only good. Whenever I was upset over something, he would come to me and say," Keith chuckled. "He would say 'Its okay, Keith. Everything is will be good again.' and I would just rub his head and send him on to play. But it's true. We shouldn't forget him because he died. We should let his memory live but also not slow down our lives because he's gone. He will always be my little brother, but now, he is in his real home, Heaven. Thank you." Keith smiling and descended from the podium. He sat next to Carly again, grabbing her hand, his thumb rubbing over her knuckles. The speaker asked for Cindy to come up, and Samantha had to help her because she seemed to be crying so hard yet it was a silent cry.

"I can't... say... much. Bradley will always be my little angel, my baby boy. I will miss him everyday. Yet, like Keith said... we have to go on while remembering him. Thank you all for caring so much about my little B to come today. He loved everyone and he never met a stranger. So, thank you." Cindy and Samantha came down and the speaker asked for any other speeches. No one volunteered at first, but Carly stood up and made her way to the podium. She usually hated speaking in front of large crowds, but this was for Bradley so she shook the fear away.

"My mom, Samantha and I just moved here around three months ago. Yet, in the short time I knew little B, I grew to love him as my own little brother. He quickly welcomed me and I also had to villian in his game. Don't worry, I turned to the good side." The crowd laughed a little, and you heard sniffles all over the room. "Bradley will always be in my heart also, and my mother's. We loved him like he was our family, we love all of them like family. He was a true blessing to everyone. I feel like if I had never met him, my life would've never been so full of life and laughter. He was definitely funny but he was also honest and kind. Thank you Bradley... for being my inspiration. I love you little B." It seemed as if the whole room seemed to burst into sobs. Carly barely had the strength to make it back to her seat, but Keith helped her.

An hour later, everyone was standing by the graveside praying and saying their final goodbyes to Bradley Layne Ciznek. Keith held Carly's hand tightly but she didn't mind. It was as if he was holding her up, and she was doing the same for him. Cindy and Samantha stood together, their arms linked through each others. Cindy and Keith also held hands for true family support.

Another three hours passed by slowly, Keith and Carly had insisted for Samantha to take Cindy home for rest while they cleaned up. They locked up the church and got in the car. Carly didn't crank it right away and Keith looked over at her. Carly started to cry, and this time she didnt hold it back at all. Keith got out of the car, pulled open her door, and gently helped her out. He hugged her in his arms and just held her for a few minutes until she was done crying. "Thank you. I just needed to cry. I'm okay. Keith, your brother looked up to you." She said, looking up into his eyes. He seemed taken back and then he smiled a humble, gentle and shy smile.

"Thank you. That was a beautiful speech. You were also his role model in a way. He talked about you when you weren't there. He called you his big sister he never had, but he said I couldn't tell you. Oops." They both laughed. "He'll forgive me. Anyway... I really love you best friend." He said. Though some part of him wanted to leave the last two words off. He smiled at her expression which was a mix of surprise and pleasure.

"I love you too best friend. Let's get home." She said.