In Memory Of

Coconut Drips

I never knew life could be so cruel, taking away the people we loved, I thought as I glanced down at the strip of paper in my hand. The recipe really wasn't just words on paper, it was important because of the bittersweet memory it held. Tears found their way down my face, as I held my face in my hands in despair to keep the memory away. As I wiped away the salty fresh tears I glanced up through the window of my eyes to be confronted with a cask as black as night, knowing it held the body of my uncle. The struggle to breathe for him was over.
Small splashes of liquid dripped off of the homemade coconut popsicle, my fingers desperately attempting to hold onto it tightly with the fear that it was going to fall onto the creaky, wooden floorboards. As drips fell my fingers became sticky with the sugary substance it contained, deciding to finally give up on the little amount there was left. I made my way over to the garbage bag, barely catching onto a whisper from afar. Turning around I noticed my uncle as he motioned over to me, no sound coming out of his mouth. There was a faint scent of herbal tea as I drew closer to the couch of faded leather where he sat with multiple things scattered around him. As I sat, the dogs came rushing over to me, their yelps echoing across the room as they jumped blissfully at my feet, seeking affection. I lightly rubbed the silky smooth fur on the head of one with white brown-spotted fur. He pointed his finger to the one with silky caramel fur who lay at the very end of the couch, as he whispered "Lulu." She seemed to bask in the attraction the beauty of her fur held as two people lightly petted her. The dog with white brown-spotted fur jumped onto the leather couch, finding comfort between my uncle and I. My uncle found the capability to lowly laugh as he whispered "Honey", pointing to the dog who lay between us.
I smiled at the sweet name as well as the obvious contrast between the two dogs. I glanced at the kitchen space, knowing that was where the adults were speaking. I then spotted Lulu's silky caramel fur, making her way to the kitchen. Deciding to follow her, I entered the kitchen space pretending to make myself busy filling up a red solo cup with water to the brim. As I did this, I heard the hushed tones of the adults. I could hear my aunt's honey sweet voice asking "What can we do to help?" I struggled to make out the voice of my uncle's wife as she told my aunt "I've asked myself that question a million times, I've looked up things about lung cancer, all I've come up with is chemotherapy. My daughters are in college and we're short on cash right now, there really is nothing we can do." From the corner of my eye, I could see my uncle's wife face soaked with tears and my aunt attempting to reassure her.
I sit down on the grass, tugging at the tiny strands as I snapped back into the present. They say grass can withstand anything, it'll keep on growing stronger than ever if it dies. Sometimes I wish people were like grass, that way they would never leave you. I finally realize that my uncle has moved onto a better place, somewhere where cancer wouldn't be a problem anymore. I glance at the black cask one more time, throwing a rose, looking away as dirt is slowly piled on top of the cask in heaps. I slowly walk away, welcoming the tears once again. Tears mean you feel something, and I was so sure that I wasn't even breathing. Hand in hand with my grandmother, we walked towards the forest-green car as the clouds cried in sync with my own tears.

*******
Three years later, the death of my uncle still remains in my mind. I visit his grave every year on the day he was buried, to give him a rose. This year's different, with the rose I lay the recipe for the homemade coconut popsicle he liked so much. My handwriting on the paper, messy and childish, doesn't matter. I lay it on the top of his headstone, watching it gracefully flutter into the clouds as I silently whisper "Goodbye." My uncle didn't deserve the weight of lung cancer but he got it anyway. His death has changed who I am, I've been able to learn something very important about family. Anything can happen to the people we love, at anytime, in anyplace so you have to remember to make the best of the time you have left with your loved ones whether it be a month or a hundred years.