-Can be read as a stand alone-
Heart: In the streets of Atlanta it is what many will die behind, and what many will get themselves killed trying to prove.
But for some, heart comes naturally. It doesn't have to be proven, it is simply there from th...
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"I give my sweat and tears, damn, I bled for it No one would bet that you would lose me like that"
•••
I hated funerals.
Everybody did, I think, but this one in particular just felt especially wrong.
We didn't deserve to be here.
A mother didn't deserve to put her child in the grave before herself.
Friends didn't deserve to see somebody they planned to be there with for the rest of their life be lowered into the ground.
Someone as genuine and loving as Andre deserved to live a long life and be granted the opportunity to experience all of this somber love in the form of the joyous laughter that he brought to all of us, and the fact that he wasn't was eating away at me heavily.
Sitting in the pew I had both of my hands locked between Invi and Winter's. We sat quietly with silent streams of tears running down our faces in deep disarray as the pastor called for speakers to come and share their memories. We were sitting a few rows back from the family, and Marcus and Richard were sitting up on the first row as the pallbearers.
Winter patted my hand before easing up and walking up front. I watched quietly as Invi began to sniffle beside me.
"Hi everybody," She started off softly and people in the church gave their greetings back to her. Taking a deep breath she continued into her remarks steadily as she stood straighter. "My name is Winter Fallon, but Andre always called me Windy like all the people who I held the most dear in my life. Andre was best friends with my own best friend's husband. When we met I knew we'd be quite the pair because he always got my humor, and he was truly one of my greatest partners in crime.
You don't meet people like him often, and this past week I've been trying to remember that rare joy he always brought me. I try to smile and not cry because that is all I knew with Andre, but even I must admit it's hard," She said before biting her lips as she skimmed her hand over the casket she stood by. "It's hard but I'm going to do it because I want to remember him in the best way. In the way we all knew him and that was loving and funny. Unapologetically kind, dazzling smart, and effortlessly enduring. He was more than worth every second we were blessed to experience him, and I just hope that everyone here knows that as much as I do. We're going to miss you sweetie," She said with a sad smile as she patted his casket.
She walked over to his mother and bent down to embrace her while I squeezed Invi's hand as she held onto me tighter. When I saw Richard get up, I let out a soft sigh as Winter made her way back to the seat beside me.
"When Andre and I first met, we got to fighting," He started and made everyone let out a laugh as she he shook his head smiling. "He didn't go to school with us, and Ms.Field's made sure her baby boy got to go to one of the better schools in the city. I just knew he thought he was better than Marcus and me, but after he sat there and went toe to toe with me I figured he couldn't have been as much of a punk as I made him out to be," He said shrugging while I shook my head with a slight smile. He looked down at the casket touching it in an understandable disbelief that his friend was lying in there.
