Ready or Not

I got the news last month that my father was sick, so I immediately flew home. None of us knew that his cancer was as bad as it was, but we all noticed that he was getting worse. We took it day by day, trying to make him as comfortable as possible. All of us knew that he didn't have much longer.

The day he passed on was bitter in so many ways. I wasn't prepared to lose my father, nor was I prepared for what he said to me just moments before slipping away.

"Son, I want you to marry her," he whispered. His face was turning pale, and his grip on my hand loosened. I knew it was time.

"Who?" I asked, tears filling my eyes. Then, he said it. The name that belonged to my best friend.

​​​​​"Graecyn," he said in a voice that was barely audible. His hand went limp in mine, and his chest stopped moving up and down. I knew that he had seen the light, and I knew that he was in a better place. I had to honor his dying wish, but I didn't know how.