The Funeral

Aly’s funeral was today.

It was…weird. I thought that I would be a wreck, sheddding more tears then I thought I was capable of, but for some reason, watching all those people who loved Aly walk past her coffin, kiss her forehead, touch her hair, remember the good times they had with her when she was alive.

It made me smile.

“Violet, are you okay?” Drake was sitting next to me, his hand warm over mine.

I nodded, “I’m fine”.

I didn’t know what was wrong with me, why I was so happy, it was a funeral after all, the irony of it was even a little ridiculous, I felt like such a fool.

 But…I got the feeling that Alyson would’ve wanted me to be happy, even at her funeral. She used to joke about her funeral to me, telling me that it was going to be pretty funny watching us all from heaven talking about her like she wasn’t with us anymore, because she was. She always would be, that was the way Alyson thought of things.

“Violet Blake, Alyson’s close friend, has a few nice things to say about her before we proceed”…

I stood up and walked over to the podium where a picture of Alyson was sitting right next to me, Alyson in all her glory, smiling like nothing was wrong. To Alyson, nothing was wrong.

I sighed, looking down at my piece of paper where I had written everything I was going to say down on. It seemed so….Pointless now. Everything I had said on that small piece of paper was when I was feeling so morbid that all I did was whine and say how it wasn’t fair how a supposedly merciless higher being had taken away the one person in my life that I wanted to stay here for. If “IT” was trying to kill me, it was doing a fantastic job of it already.

I did something then I don’t normally do, I crumbled up the paper, dropped it to the ground, and started to speak.

“Alyson was….funny. She liked to make people laugh all the time, even when she was making fun of herself. That’s why she wanted everyone here today, so we could all laugh together, remember the good times we had with Alyson, the things about her that made her who she was, who we all loved. She could light up a room with her smile alone, make you want to hug her just for looking at you with those wide blue eyes of hers. Alyson was something special, but to me….She. Was. Everything. I never thought I was going to be here today, talking to you all about Aly, in fact there was a time in my life where I could’ve promised you I wasn’t going to live to be eighteen, but someone special changed all that. She made me see what it really takes to be a good person, a strong person, a real live hero. Alyson never complained about the pain she was in, she would lay there all day and listen to your problems like it was the most important thing in the world to her. There’s so much about her I’m going to miss I can’t even name them all, so I will just tell you the thing about her I’m going to miss the most: All of her.”

I was shocked to see I still wasn’t crying, and everyone was staring at me with their mouths wide open and eyes bugged out.

I took a deep breath, “So today I want you all to be happy, Alyson would’ve wanted that. She hated to see anyone sad, especially the people she cared about in her life. I want you all to remember that Alyson will be in your hearts, ALWAYS.”

Everyone started clapping very loud then, Drake even stood up like he was giving me a standing ovation.

I didn’t know what to think, my speech had actually given them something to cheer for ata  funeral nonetheless.

Alyson was right about something, words can make wondrous things happen.

I only have one more thing to say to my best friend,  so Alyson if you can hear me:” Maybe hope isn’t so terrifying”.

🙂