Skellingtons in the closet

Chapter 13: The Funeral

Chris

It's been a week since Liz's death and I've been depressed ever since. After we all flew back home, I immediately went to my room and lied down on my bed, even though I couldn't sleep. I just stared at her side of the bed and held her pillow close to me. I knew that I'd never get used to sleeping without her beside me, her funeral is tomorrow. Hours pass and I'm still up. It's late. Four thirty in the morning, and I'd been popping sleeping pills, still no help. There was no use, so I sat up and walked towards our closet and took down a box from the shelf. I sat down, still in the closet, opening the box and slowly taking out our photo album.

I opened it to the first page of pictures that filled my heart with more sorrow. Seeing pictures of Liz when we first started out our relationship and friendship broke my heart even more. I turned the page and stared at the picture of us after our wedding, she was beautiful in her red dress, we never got to redo our vows. I sighed and then there it was. The picture that tore my heart out of my chest. A picture of Liz holding new born baby Tyler in the hospital and me kissing her cheek. I finally started my crying session.
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I woke up, still in the closet, pictures scattered on the floor around me. I wiped the corner of my mouth as I drooled a bit when I was asleep and picked up the pictures, carefully putting them back in the box and sitting it on the shelf. I grabbed my phone from the bed and looked at the time, it was 8:30, I had to get ready for Liz's funeral. I could hear the girls walking back and forth in their heels, they must've already got ready. I sighed and dragged myself to the closet again and grabbed my black suit from the rack and sat it on the bed. I hopped in the shower and did my normal routine after I got out- brush my teeth, flat iron hair, spray some hair spray, apply my dark eye make up, and draw my eyebrows on. I dragged myself to the bed and put on the suit and tie my tie. I went to Tyler's room and woke him up, it was now nine o'clock, and I had to get him ready. He bathed himself and I combed back his hair, and helped him put on his suit also. I picked him up and met the girls in the living room.

"You guys ready?" I asked.

They slowly nodded and made our way to my van, before I opened the back car door, Tyler spoke up.

"Daddy....is mommy in heaven now?"

I stared into his sparking eyes.

"She's our angel now....she's our beautiful angel watching over us, how's that answer?" I asked.

He nodded his head and I helped him in the car, he buckled himself in, and so did the girls. Before going to the funeral, we went to a flower shop and bought some flowers of course. Riot got white daisies, Brionna got lilies, Briar got marigolds and gave Tyler one, and finally I bought red roses, and we hurried to the funeral. When we made it there and everyone was standing around, talking and crying. The funeral hadn't officially started yet. Mr. And Mrs. Smith were outside with everyone else, they held each other and cried. I motioned for the girls to go inside before me and to take Tyler with them as I walked up to Mr. And Mrs. Smith.

"We finally reunite and didn't even get a chance to say goodbye..." Mrs. Smith cried out.

"She is in a better place now, hun," Mr. Smith said.

"No matter what she'll still be with us in our hearts," I added, trying to at least lighten up the mood, but I guess now's not the time. I hugged them before the priest came out to announce the funeral is starting, he was clearly faking his "sorrow", I rolled my eyes and made my way in the church after everyone else. Before I knew it I was standing in front of her coffin. My throat got dry, my legs trembled and my hands shook. I stared at her dead body. She was still beautiful. The mortician dressed her in a black beautiful high low dress with her favorite pentacle she always wore, and black converses. I smiled at the fact the mortician had enough respect to put on converses on, someone must've told him that she hated heels. Her black hair lied back behind her head, I dig in my pocket and took out her wedding ring, I'm happy I didn't leave it at home. I slid it back on her finger and lied the roses down next to her. I wiped my tears before kissing her goodbye.

"I love you..." I whispered even though I knew she couldn't hear me, but I still needed to say it.  I sat down in the front.row with the girls and Ricky, Josh, Devin and Ryan. Maria was sitting in the next row, hiding her face under a black lace veil, she was obviously crying like the rest of us, but she she didn't want to show it. She always wanted to keep the strong girl image. But today...we were all weak. A very familiar face caught my eye that sat behind Maria. Megan. That's right, Megan Massacre, my ex girlfriend. She took a tissue and wiped her tears, she looked my way and walked over, and sat next to me, still staring at the red coffin.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Chris, I knew how much she meant to you..." she whispers.

"Which is a lot..." I added.

"What're you doing here?" I finally asked.

"I came here to pay my respects for you and your family, Liz was a sweet person, she was amazing...her great personality was contagious, I couldn't of not come, we did have a bond at some point," she explained.

"Which drifted apart because you were only getting close to her to get close to me," I spat.

"I admit at the time I was, Chris, I missed you and I still loved you at the time, but soon after Liz and I stopped talking, I did miss her, she was an awesome woman..."

I sighed and a tall figure caught my eye. Andy from Black Veil Brides, he came with some girl, I couldn't see her face though, it was covered in a veil that was much darker than Maria's. Andy and the girl stood in front of the coffin. I hated Andy. He tried flirting with Liz before at the fair in front of me and it pissed me off. He and the girl whispered back and forth together, he then sat on a stool next to her coffin, letting the girl take a seat. Ashley Purdy, his friend and band mate, sat next to him on a stool with an acoustic guitar. Fuck, he's going to sing something! I'm her husband I should be singing something too, I had to think up a song to sing. He cleared his throat and spoke. His deep voice boomed through the church.

"Liz was an incredible young woman...she made us smile, and everytime you listen to one of her songs, you had no choice but to sing a long and scream to the top of your lungs weather you liked the song or not....anytime someone needed her, she'd drop everything and do what she can...she smiled even through her tough times, and her husband and son were her whole world...she was an amazing mother, daughter, wife and friend, this song is dedicated to her and her family, this is called The Mortician's Daughter," he spoke.

"I open my lungs dear..I sing this song at funerals no rush..."

I listened to the song, I had no choice but to listen. I must admit, it was kinda nice. After he finished singing, he thanked everyone and sat next to the mystery girl. I swallowed thick air and hesitantly got up to speak. I wasn't going to sing, this wasn't a competition over who can sing better or who can sing the most emotional song. I talked about how we met, how much she loved everyone, how much we loved each other, even after all the countless times I fucked her over, how much we wanted a big family together and how Tyler was the beginning to that start. After my emotional speech, me, Ricky, Devin, Josh, and Ryan closed the coffin and slowly lifted it up after everyone cleared the church, and carefully put it in the hearse, letting the cops lead us all to the grave site.