Your Light (Tu Luz) [Joel Pimentel]

Chapter 3

Dhianna Gabriel.

3 February 2013

Not even two days after that, the funeral in remembrance of Emmanuel Rodriguez, was held.

It was a simple ceremony where people came in black dresses, and tux, to take a look of the dead for the last time.

Funeral to me, are for the living. It's for us to remember that our life are short and that we need to cherish it. Life was meant to be painful but it also was meant to be the best thing ever happened to us.

I looked over Mari, who was dressed in a black dress, looking like she hasn't eat or sleep for the whole 2 days of her father's death. I couldn't blame her, Emmanuel loves her and me more than he love his sons. It's just because we're girls and we need more love than guys.

I remember once when Mariana was being a rebel and would sneak out of the house to meet her boyfriend, Erick, he would come to my house and called me out to make sure Mariana was lying to him.

It's funny how she was grounded for 3 months every single time she sneaked out and she eventually got tired of it, and decided to be good to her father when she witnessed me losing my parents.

It was hard for me, I couldn't eat or sleep for weeks, only sitting on the cold floor of my room, staring into nothing, crying once in a while. But, Emmanuel was there to give me love, food and all that he have to make me feel belonged. It makes me feel like I'm one of his own and knowing that he's dead now, breaks my heart even more that I lose my parents twice.

"Now, let's hear from his daughter, Mariana Rodriguez..." The priest said as I squeezed Mariana's hand and she walked up the podium.

"My dad...was one of a kind. He never lets me or my family goes a day without smiling or laughing. He'd be there for us to have dinner together, or have movie nights together. Even in his last few days, he'd been smiling, oblivious to the fact that something is awaiting him. Dad, you've always been an inspiration to me.." She looked in to coffin.

"..you've always been an inspiration to everyone. It was like now that you're not here, people would be uninspired and the world is going to end soon. But don't be afraid Daddy, I'll be the one inspiring them all, I'll continue your legacy. I'll do whatever I can just like you did. I love you so much daddy, you're not really gone daddy, you're just starting to live. I love you so so so much." She said, as she put a bouquet of white roses inside Emmanuel's coffin.

After that it was my turn, the footfall felt heavy, but I cannot let it go any longer by not telling Emmanuel how much he meant to me and to everyone.

"Emmanuel, or dad..is one hell of a man.." I started. It was hard to read out every words I wrote and it felt weird because I was calling him dad. It was like a replay of me, standing on a podium, reading out a eulogy to my parents. The difference is that there's no Emmanuel sitting in front of me smiling.

Suddenly, the wind blows, when I finished giving my speech. His scent was clear in the air, it was like he was there too. It was like he was proud to see me. I smiled into the air.

After the funeral, I went home because Mariana said she wanted her time alone, comforting her family. I offered my help but she said I looked tired and need a sleep.

Not that I'm complaining, but I guess I do. So, i drive myself home and when I arrived, I was hit by thousands of emotion when I saw the empty living room and kitchen in broad daylight.

It hit me of how much I missed my parents. I miss my dad greeting me, when I got home from school, my mum cooking up a storm for our big family.

Now that my parents are dead, each and every one of my cousins and aunts moved out and I was left alone inside this big house, filled with memories.

Every corner of the house played a big role in memories of my parents. You could look at the dining table, and the replay of multiple time of us having dinner would play at the back of my head.

I could have everything I wanted in life. Money, big house, a car and all the education I needed but one thing for sure, I cannot get back is my parents...and that's when it hit me in the guts.

It really hurts knowing I have no one..no one.