Far From Normal

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Speeches and goodbyes

When I wake up I'm in a familiar bed. I feel around and take in the delicious smell of the comforter. Opening one of my eyes I groan when sunlight blurs my vision.

"You're awake," I hear a sigh and then I feel a hand brush my hair back. Soft lips press against my forehead and I open my eyes to see a beautiful sight. Odessa sits above me with a sad smile. The weight of the world seems gone for a second before I take her close to me and hug her. She lays next to me while I crush her to my chest.

"Essie, they're gone," I whisper.

"I know. I know. I'm so so sorry," she whispers back and trails her fingers on the base of my neck.

"What am I going to do?" I ask when I feel my breathing start to slow down.

"I don't know. You can stay here if you like,"

"I would like that," I mumble before falling asleep to Odessa's shallow breaths.

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(2 weeks later)

"I sold the house today," I say as I sit down next to Odessa. She takes me hand and intertwined our fingers together.

"Was it hard?" She asks gently.

"It hurt more to pack up their stuff," I sigh as I flatten out my suit.

I glance over to Odessa. Her hair is wavy and pulled back. A small silver necklace hangs low on her neck and a black dress flows down to her feet. Getting up I take her hand and lead her to my car. I toss her the keys and climb into the passenger seat. I found out they had died by a semi truck driver on their way home. He passed away as well and there was a lot of insurance talk and selling the house as well as what I will do for the next month until my birthday. They said the foster system would be useless since it would take longer to get me into a home than for me to stay with somebody and wait out until my birthday. After a lot of money transfers and funeral planning, everything seemed settled.

"Hey, Wyatt. We're here," I hear Odessa say as we pull up into the church parking lot. I haven't been able to get behind the wheel of a car since the accident and had to rely on Odessa or Sky to take me places. The door opened and I climbed out grabbing Odessa and pulling her straight into my chest.

"Thank you," I mumble into her hair. I pull her away only to place my lips on hers very softly. We hadn't kissed since the first one. Not because we didn't want to but because we didn't need to. She was shocked by the display if affection but reacted and kissed me light and slow. She backed away and we walked into the church together.

As soon as the funeral was over we went to the cemetery for the burial. I tightened my grip on the paper in my hand and hummed along to the radio. My family was there as well as some friends and we waited and prayed and finally it was time for my speech. I stood next to their graves and began to speak.

"This isn't just a speech. This is my goodbye. My one moment to officially let you two go. I won't forget but I will move on just as you two did when Lace passed away. I will stand strong and fight like I learned from you dad. And I will laugh and smile like I learned from you mom. All of your life lessons will guide me. All of your life lessons will guide everybody around you. You've blessed us with your presence and your strength. Thank you. Thank you from everybody around us. May you always cherish your time here with us. Enjoy your time with Lace, because I know you two both really missed her. I will see you guys later." I laugh lightly and hold my hands together while people walk up and drop their roses into the grave. Many hugs and tears later Odessa takes me back to her house. Her parents have been gone on a business trip since my parents passed and won't be back till late September.