Remember Me

Will you hear me blowing in the wind?
Will it give you shivers down your skin?
Will you stop and stare, wonder if I’m there?
Will you think about me now and then?

 She’s still the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. Her plain, black dress isn’t fitted. It’s not some cocktail dress. Her eyes are swollen and a bloody red, there’s a sheen to them of unfallen tears that she’s clearly trying to reign in. The tip of her nose is a pink color, the way it always was when she’d been crying.

Her lower lip trembles as she holds onto my mother’s hand for dear life. That’s my girl, trying to be strong for everyone around her.  Chris is there, same with Mackie. Friends and family, the crowd is decent but it’s the ladies there in the front row that my heart goes out to.

The service ends, they both place a single red rose on my casket. My mother breaks down and my stepfather takes her in his arms and takes her away. But there’s no one for my girl. The tears flow freely down her cheeks now as she stands, resting her hand on the smooth wood. Her shoulders shake with her silent tears but there are no strong, loving arms that will help pick up the pieces for her. I’m not there for her.

The crowd starts to disperse and she walks down the gravel path to the car waiting for her. I step up beside her and reach for her hand, though I can’t actually touch her. A soft gust of wind tussles her hair and she stops short, her breath catching. She turns and looks at her hand as if she can feel my palm so close to hers. She brings her hand to her chest, her other hand brushing the simple engagement ring there before looking over her shoulder to where my headstone lay. Her tears begin again as she continues to the car.