• "Friends, Relatives, thank you all for coming during this somber moment. I believe we will begin shortly once the official is ready. In the meantime we will hold a small viewing of our daughter. Then conclude to the religious part of it followed by any short words you may have. All close relatives will then follow to the burial site"

    A man stood before all the grieving mourners. No one knew exactly what to say to one another let alone to his wife and himself. It’s a moment all parents dread the most. You could tell the parents were saddened by the loss of their dear child. Taken so soon is what they referred to it. In that very room stood two people no one could account for. Their appearance was more distraught than anyone else there. Matt, their daughter’s boyfriend stood beside both. They figured it had to be friends he knew. In reality no one knew exactly the whole story.

    "I'm Matt and you must be Derrick?"

    "Yeah I am. I don’t know how this happened. I had spoken to her a few days before. She sounded so sweet, so unchanged". There stood a young man trying to grapple with the mysteries before him. How had he lost his best friend? How had he lost the only girl to understand him because both were the same yet so different?

    "They finally had found out her condition. By then I think the meds couldn’t help how far it had spread. I spoke to her too, that warm smile despite the hell she lived on the inside...I wont see it again. When I wake up it wont be the same"

    "She had a boyfriend? I don’t think she ever mentioned you at all to me." This one was someone she had thought she could trust to never hurt her but he failed. They had met so long ago. At first it started off as friends. Then it lead to more up until he took it back. He had his reasons. Jesse had assumed that his problems were better left to himself and not to involve her at all. With all that was going on he wasn’t sure he could make her happy and thus he severed his ties with her in that regard.

    "And you must be Jesse? I believe she did mention you before to me. And of all the indecisive pain she was put through."

    "I know who this ' whole is, I never liked you. Now I can see why. You hurt my best friend. When she began talking about you I couldn’t take it. Then hearing how upset she was. Spending all that time talking for hours on how she felt, it killed me not to be able to do anything. I was glad she found Matt. I could tell in her tone how much more happier she was with him. Happier than she could have ever been with you"

    "To tell you the truth Derrick, she was never happy. Even when we began dating she wasn’t happy. It took a long time for her to be ok with moving on. She held him inside too long waiting and expecting him to change, but he never did"

    "I don’t think that is fair. I mean if that is true then she never showed how upset she was. I always loved hearing her, how happy she sounded, the sound of her laugh. She got me through a lot in my life and I couldn’t even see hers"

    "I had a lot going on you know. I just didn’t think it was fair for me to string her along through all my problems. I lost my job, my ex was giving me drama, and I couldn’t handle it. Don’t you dare accuse me of anything. I loved that girl, I dreamed of marrying her someday..."

    "That someday never came now didn’t it?"

    Through all the commotion her sister walks towards them. You could tell she too was saddened by the loss of her only sister. Devin turned to Matt and wondered who the two gentlemen were.

    "Hey Matt, I'm so sorry...I wanted to say that. I knew my sister loved you a lot. I am so glad she had you to lean on too."

    "Too? Its not like you were part of it anyhow...how can you stand there and say you all cared?"

    "Two of your friends Matt? My sister loved you, I don’t know why these two need to be here"

    "They aren’t my friends...well one..."

    "Well then I don’t know what they're doing here. This isn’t the time or place to be having a fight with strangers"

    "Where do you get off calling me a stranger? If anything that title belongs to you. Did you even know her at all? From what I have heard you and the rest of these people here were clueless"

    "How dare you say that to me. She was my sister and right now I don’t need you going off on me for no good reason..."

    She was about to finish her sentence when the official stepped in. He stood at the podium and began to speak. It was his time to give a few words to the family, some kind of comfort.

    "Today we mourn the loss of another of god's children. As she makes her way we pray that he watch over her for now she feels no pain"

    Everyone in the room began to tear up again. All lies thought Derrick. He knew most of them didn’t even care for her at all from what he was told. The sermon was lovely thought her parents. They had thought he captured her well, all except the three of them. For once all three young men were on the same page. Each one thought they knew her better than before. Then came out of the three who knew her best. By now everyone had gathered to pay his or her respects and say goodbye. At this time the official allowed family or friends alike to come in and say a few words. First to come along was her mother.

    "I don’t know where to begin here. All this time I called her my daughter, now I have to refer to her in the past form. When I held her in my arms those doctors gave her to me, she smiled. Her first official smile. It could warm anyone’s heart. Those dark eyes so brightly staring at me. It was the greatest feeling ever. Now my baby is gone..."

    She couldn’t contain her tears. At this time her father tried his best to say his few words. He knew he wouldn’t contain himself either but he had to try.

    "I will never forget my little girl. I know its silly to call her that since she was a grown woman now but all fathers think their daughters are little at any age. I knew she loved going out and getting food together. Plus those free toys kept her imagination busy. The best part was going shopping...god took you too soon...too soon..."

    Afterwards came Devin. She too tried as best as she could to keep her composer but failed.

    "Sharing a room with you wasn’t easy. But I think once we did get our separate rooms, I wanted to hang out more. Sure I was busy, we would fight at times but I would have dropped everything if you had asked me to...I cant do this..." she stepped down in tears.

    Everyone had assumed Matt would be the one to speak next for everyone knew his relationship with Sam. But alas Derrick stepped up first. Everyone there was wondering who this young man was. They figured they knew everyone that she knew, hardly having any friends, remaining close to a select few. He wasn’t himself then. He wasn’t so honest and direct as he had wanted deep down inside to do. He figured he owed his sister that much. It was a title they called one another, siblings. He felt more closer to her than his own real siblings in the end. She felt the same way and had started to call him brother long ago. That is how much their friendship meant to one another.

    "I met my sister long ago. It felt like yesterday. In fact I last spoke to her. I had said to Matt earlier that she sounded happy. I want to say more happy than I had ever known her to be. I figured it was because of him. Everyone talks about her like she was some random person. No one knew her like I knew her. All the stories we would tell each other. The late night talks we would have. She was always there for me. I am sorry I couldn’t be there for her in the same way. We both had said if either one of us left, our lives wouldn’t be the same. I feel like it wont be. She was my best friend, the one that understood me the most. The one that knew exactly what I was thinking before I even knew what I was thinking. With all that you have been through I wouldn’t blame you if you had decided all on your own to go. I don’t know how such a being can exist to take an angel away so soon..."

    The room began to fill with whispers. All those inside the room stood shocked at who he was. Matt knew he meant his words from the heart. By this time Derrick once again turned to Matt and said,

    "I think out of everyone here you made her happiest in the end. I know what happened before with Jesse there, and I could see the pain she was in, I always said you belonged with her in the end. I'm so sorry dude, our angel is gone..." He too couldn’t contain himself and stepped outside for a smoke.

    "Everyone so far must be wondering who I am. That all depends on the opinions you have of me. I was someone that came into Sam's life. I met her long ago. She struck me as a sweet kind person right off the bat. I wasn’t wrong. As I got to know the real person inside, I began to fall in love with her. She was beautiful to me. I would have married her right on the spot if I could have. I didn’t know what to say to her at first, but I knew I had to tell her I loved her. Our friendship meant so much to me. Even more so as time went on and we called one another lovers. Because of my actions in the end I ended up hurting someone I cared about. Everyone paints me to be this bad guy but I wasn’t. I knew that I couldn’t offer her the world, as she deserved. I knew if I kept her away from my problems she would be far better off. I didn’t want that to hurt her without realizing I was doing it myself. My angel, I didn’t think it would take this moment for me to realize the mistakes I made. I wish I could take it all back. I know in my heart, there will always be a part of me that you will occupy..." He stepped down and held her hand. It was a small gesture that he hadn’t done before, turned his sight away and walked out of the small chapel.

    The room lay silent. No one knew how to react to everything. It was either shock or dismay they weren’t sure. Matt could tell it took a lot for Jesse to step up and talk so openly. He knew he wasn’t a bad person so to speak but he couldn’t let go how much he had hurt her. Rising out of his seat, walking towards the podium, he took one sweet look at her and then began his turn to speak.

    "When I first met her, I had no idea I would be beside the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. It took a long time but she began to trust again, allowing someone love her back. I knew I couldn’t undo everything all at once. And I knew as well that it would be an even greater challenge to let the past go. I knew walking in that she still had feelings for someone else but I took a risk. As much as she took a risk and a gamble on me as well. I remember the first time I knew she loved me back. There was this concert that was hard to get to. It was our favorite band. Somehow she got tickets. I never asked how but that night was the first time she actually kissed me back. I know my life wont be the same when I wake up anymore. But if she had the strength to withstand so much and still move on so can I. Might take me years but I am comforted in knowing wherever she may be, she finally found peace, solace, and happiness. I was going to ask her to marry me. I know I had mentioned it before but never got around to asking. I brought along with me the ring she had always wanted."

    He took a small box out from his pocket. In it was a simple ring. One day she had spied it at the store and fell in love with it. Now that he had gotten it for her life decided to make things more complicated. Once he removed it from the box, he went to her and placed it on her finger saying: "I know I never got around to asking you formally but I hope you like it. I'm going to miss you so much..."

    Once again he couldn’t contain himself and stepped outside for some air. At this time the official came once again to the podium and addressed everyone inside. By now Matt's actions had sparked a sense of emotional moments. Both her parents thought their daughter would have been a lucky girl.

    "We will now conclude to the burial site. Every available person strong enough will have to wait to gather and then set her inside. Family and friends willing to come by can follow behind. Anyone else this concludes the ceremony. I know that this is a difficult time but those that are gone are never truly forgotten."

    Outside, Derrick was still smoking his cigarette when Jesse had walked by him. He knew this was the time to make peace with him for the sake of his best friend. The sky was getting cloudy and it looked like rain. Most people didn’t want to continue on or had other plans to do. It was now high time for the two of them to start talking for the first time.

    "Hey" he had said putting out his cigarette.

    "Hey look I am sorry that I hurt her so much..."

    "I heard what you had to say in there. I know I was someone that also painted a bad picture of you. I didn’t mean for that to happen you know"

    "I deserve it. I deserve all of it. I'm surprised no one in there tore my head off like you did"

    "That’s because no one expected the two of you. Both of you meant the world to her but she couldn’t very well explain things to them. They wouldn’t have understood. In the end I opted not to say anything at the last minute myself. I figured they would have to hear how wonderful she really was from outside sources." Matt had stepped in after having composed himself.

    "Look whatever happened Jesse, happened. I think we all weren’t blameless in how she felt. I know there were times when I put distance on our friendship. Like I said no one is blameless. I wish I could take back all the things I did too. For right now its high time we say our goodbyes and hope she does end up happy. And Matt, I know if you had asked her she would have said yes."

    "Thanks that means a lot to me. It looks like their ready for us. I have this letter I want to read. I found it in our apartment the other day. I think it was her way of saying goodbye to all three of us."

    The official once again called for any bearers. These three young men knew it was time to let her go. As emotional as they were on the inside, they had to compose themselves. Everyone there lifted it gently and walked slowly. Once inside the driver was ready to go. A pile of family and friends that were left could be seen from behind all dressed in black. The sky had turned darker still now as the raindrops fell to the ground. It was as if the heavens were weeping along with them. It was now time to say their final goodbyes. It felt like a mile, it felt like an hour, but there it was the open pit filling itself with rain. The sadness in the air was matched with sadness in the sky. No longer were there black birds singing, no they were gone. All about the pit were roses. These white roses that symbolized someone’s demise. At this time a few more words were exchanged and before they would seal her down Matt arose.

    "I had found this entry or letter I don’t know what to call it but I would like to read it to all of you. Forgive me if I pause a few times."

    "Hey its me Sam. I really don’t know what to call this thing. I know I have that problem all the time. It’s hard to begin from the beginning and then conclude to the end. I guess I should start off with my family. I know I wasn’t easy to raise. I know that at times I would turn away, or not say what I felt on the inside. It was hard for me to say what it is I wanted, what it was that I desired to make me happy. I know you loved me as best as you could. But no one understood me. I think it felt like a human interacting with one martian. No one would understand the other. I never blamed you really. You always wanted what was best for me. Even if it wasn’t exactly what I wanted. I know I was difficult, but I at least I loved you anyway. My Best Bro Derrick, you seemed to get me right from the very beginning. Everything we ever talked about brought a smile to my face. I did understand that at times you would push me away. But I figure I have to forgive you for that. In the end you knew me like I knew you. We were separate but yet the same. I will always love and cherish our friendship. Jesse, you were the hardest to forgive and the hardest to let go. I spent so much time hoping things would change but they never did. I too am grateful that I had you in my life. I know I had said before I wish I had never met you. But that wasn't true. I am glad I got the chance to meet someone who truly did love me back as I was. I know now that because of everything I grew up. Thank you for that really. I know life will help you find the one you deserve. I forgive you dear sir, my dear friend. And my Matty, I don’t know how you could stand to be beside me. I have never met someone so patient and kind with me. I secretly found the box you were going to give me. And believe me if you asked me right now I would have said yes, wrapped my arms around you and never let you go. I think deep down I loved you the most. You stood by me through everything, all three of you did somehow and I thank you for that. Looks like your home, I better get going. Don’t want to burn dinner now do I? Can’t wait to love you forever."
    As he finished the letter he couldn’t contain his emotions. "I will love you forever too sweetest angel no longer among us". After the official's last few words the moment concluded. All three young men held darker red roses in their hands, each one throwing it inside. No one knew those were her favorite except them. The stonework was now darker. The water began to pour by this time. All the line of cars were dissipating. This would be the last time they would see one another on such a dark day.