A Single Breath

The Tree that Binds Us

The winds blew softly around the people standing among the cemetery. At the top of the hill stood two coffins, Mercedes's and Pat's. The view from the top of the hill oversaw a pretty pond with two pure white swans taking a swim across the water's placid surface. The people dressed in black and sadness squeezed as much as they could under the Japanese Cherry Blossom tree, where Mercedes and Pat would be buried.

The first portion of the services were dedicated to Pat. Many people rose to speak upon his behalf saying this and that, commenting about his generosity, preaching his love, and voicing his easy going nature. When Pat's mother rose to speak, the crowd hushed and turned their attention to the lonely mother.

"If Patrick was here to see this, he would thank you all. He is lucky to know so many wonderful people. Be that as it may, he would also be so heart stricken and heart broken. He fell in love with a girl, which many of us knew her. When she died.. my son barely left his room, barely ate, barely spoke. That is heartbreaking for a mother to watch. He died of a literal heart break. As sad as I am to admit this, he is with her now. I just—" her eyes filled with tears and she broke down falling and grabbing the podium sobbing.

Jerry came to Michelle's side and held her. She sobbed into his shoulder. Finally she rose, and like Moses parting the seas, all attention went to her. "I just wish he was still here with me.. my baby boy. After his father died in the army, it was me and Patrick. It was always me and Patrick. When he could finally read and write he'd write me little notes thanking me for the smallest of things. I'd keep them in a jar on the counter.

A few years later he met a girl. He wouldn't tell me her name, but he'd talk about her all the time. He seemed to really like her. He was about 14 and he wanted to know how to impress her. So I'd tell him to be himself and he'd chuckle to himself." Michelle was silent for a moment before she spoke again. "When he turned 16-17, he told me he was going to take Mercedes to the movies. I told him to be himself. He looked me and said he loved me very much and he thanked me for being his mother. And I just remember hugging him for a long time and then sitting on the couch waiting for him to come home and tell me about his date with Mercedes. I love him very much and I know he's happier wherever he is now. And I know he's with her."

Everyone was silent, tears streaming down their faces. Michelle returned to her place in front of the crowd next to Mercedes's family. Then Jerry took to the podium. He stood there staring at everyone before he spoke.

"If I may ask to read a few pages from Pat's journal, may I?" Michelle nodded in agreement. "Thank you Michelle. Now we are here to celebrate the lives of both Pat and Mercedes. Before Pat died he wrote down a few things I feel should be said. Two days before he died he wrote this in his journal:

I feel weak. I watch the shadows in my room slowly move across the walls. I miss her. I really miss her. It's my fault she is dead. I blame myself. I should've figured out how to open that door. If she was here I'd tell her everything I should've said. I love her smile, it always brought peace and eased all tension. It even helped birth more smiles. I loved her brown hair. She may have complained about it always tickling her nose, but I thought it was beautiful the way it bounced and blew about her face. I loved her lips, the rosy blush red lips. I loved how they would crinkle when she thought or when she balanced a pencil between her top lip and her nose. I loved her eyes. Her dark brown, almost black eyes. It was always hard for anyone to truly know if they were black or brown. I miss her laugh, and her giggles. I miss her touch. She always had a way of making everything work out right. But God took her from this world too soon. Maybe she was too fragile for this world.

I've learned to forgive god. She was too fragile to be in a world like this. I know I'm dying soon. So I left my wonderful mother a note in between my mattress for her to read and remember me from. I love you so much mom. I'm sorry things happened this way."

Jerry stopped reading and began to cry. Kate (Mercedes's best friend) came to his side and cradled him. When he finished crying he rose up again to read from the journal again.

"When I die, I'll feel the winds blow. When I die I'll feel the echo of the earth and sea. When I die, I'll see you in your dreams. But god shall bow before the gates when an angel emerges beyond the door over yonder. God will not bend for me, but he will bend for she. For she holds everything I love. She will be the purest of all angels. She will be the prettiest. She will be the most unique angel out of them all. Mercedes will be the angel god will blindly bow down to.

Mercedes if you hear this, just know, you are the angel that kept me from doing stupid shit. You are the love of my life, and I will forever cherish any moment we ever have together."

Jerry fell silent. And everyone applauded. Tears streamed down the face of Jerry. His heart broke in two.

Soon Pat's open words were concluded. Mercedes's were opened. Nobody stepped forward at first. Then Derek stood up.

"I'd like to say something." The crowd stared daggers into his back. No one argued, they let him pass. "Mercedes was my best friend in this entire world. But at the end of her life.. we fought.. I fought." The crowd of hushed, but he could feel the negative energy; the tension was over the top and he felt like he was suffocating under guilt.

Derek looked to the cherry blossom tree, the Romeo and Juliet copy were to be buried under. "Mercedes and I were like this tree. Our relationship was simple and basic like the trunk of any tree, but as the observer looks on to the top of the tree, the tree gets more complex. I chose to argue with Mercedes at the end of her life. I regret that so much. She just wanted a friend back and I only shunned her. I told her to leave me alone and now I guess I got what I wanted." The crowd looked mad.. like they were about to tear Derek a new one. "The reason I was so mean to her is because I loved her and I was jealous of her being with someone else. I miss her so bad. And I want to go back and tell her I'm so sorry, but I can't and I deserve this." With that he fell to his feet and stared sobbing harder than anyone had ever seen a teenage boy cry.