Livin' the Life

Chapter 23: Painful truth

"Aiden!!" I say and run to him. He hugs me and then says: "It's Harry." "What's happened?" I ask, hopeful that he'll have some answers. "He's in there." He says and nods toward the swinging double doors with a sign above that says: 'Morgue' my heart drops and I draw close to Aiden as the officers escort us to the coroner. "Aiden I don't know if I can handle this." I say, panicking with every step. "I know. It'll be okay." He says reassuringly as I nod and the coroner lifts up the cover. Harry lays there, eyes closed and cold. I can't help myself anymore. I break down and start relentlessly sobbing. I'd only known him a month, but it felt like an eternity. The look on his face said he didn't die peacefully. His face is scared. Aiden pulls me close then clears his throat and says: "How'd he die?" "Heroin overdose." The coroner says, "I'll give you a minute." He says and backs off. I stare at Harry through teary eyes, then bend down and kiss his cheek. "Why sweet boy?" I say. "He had mentioned his girlfriend was getting him on pot. And he was trying to get off it. I guess she was getting him hooked on more than that." Our silence is interrupted when two people who I assume are Aiden's parents come through the doors. Aiden kisses my forehead then walks up to the man who looks like his dad and punches him. "Whoa!!" He says and reels back. "Lucas, please!!" The mom says as she holds Lucas back. "How could you?" Aiden says, tears streaming down his face. "How could we what?" His mom says. "Let him drift that far!! Now you've got to bury another son due to a drug overdose." They coldly glance at Harry and Lucas says: "You can bury him."  He scoffs and then says: "Of course. Because you don't want yet another son's death to ruin your image." They look at Harry once more then silently leave.

"I've got to bury my 19 year old brother." Aiden says in the car ride home. "I don't want to." I say and wipe a tear from my eye as I try to focus on the road. "He doesn't deserve this. He never asked for mom and dad's money. I paid his way through college, then when I couldn't he took over the payments. It was rough, but he got a scholarship and stayed straight. And now I have to bury him because my moron parents don't want to acknowledge him as their own flesh and blood." I couldn't believe his parents. Harry was their son. Their baby boy and they just cast him aside like he was nothing. Took one glance at his body and then left. In all my life I've never been so haunted by one look.