Once Again

Two women stood beside the graves, tears trailing down their cheeks as they stood with their arms locked together. Beside one was a man, their younger brother, watching the graves with the same sadness and longing in his ocean blue eyes.

“I can’t believe it’s already been a year since the accident,” Grace sighed, leaning her head against her elder sister’s shoulder. Raven lifted her hand and swiped at her wet cheeks, sniffling as she tightened her arms around her sister and brother’s.

“I know,” Tristan muttered, unlocking his arm from Graiclynn’s and kneeling in front of the headstone. He ran his hand over the names engraved into the polished marble, and smiled when he thought back through the twenty six years he had with his parents and sisters.

“I owed them so much, and I never got a chance to pay them back,” Raven whispered, thinking back to when she was fifteen. At that time she was told the truth about her childhood. She remembered being sick, but she never realized she was actually dying on everyone. If her parents hadn’t of given birth to Graiclynn, she would be where they were now.

It was about two weeks after her sister was born that Raven was taken to the hospital to have the blood fusion done. She was put to sleep for the operation, so she didn’t remember it as well as she would have liked. She remembered waking up to her father and mother being in the room beside her. Her grandparents had kept Gracie because everyone was afraid she would get sick from all the germs flying around the place.

Cameron had cried when she looked into her daughter’s eyes. Jimmy was on the verge of tears as well, but he stayed strong for his family.

“They gave up so much for us,” Grace sighed, leaning next to her younger brother and reading the names. “It’s terrible they were taken so soon.”

“It was meant to happen sis,” Raven said, joining her siblings. “As bad as that is to say. They did what they were meant to do. They made us strong enough to survive, and that’s all we could ask for.”

“I miss them though.” Tristan whispered, staring at his father’s name for the longest time. They had been the most supportive of who he was. They were his parents and they loved him unconditionally, but even parents refused to accept their children when they opened up to them about what Tristan opened up about.

“I still don’t understand why you were so scared to tell them about you being homosexual,” Raven admitted. “You knew them, they didn’t care about that.”

“I know, but a few of my friends told me they told their parents and they completely disowned them for it. I knew Mom and Dad loved me, but I didn’t want them to see me differently.”

“They didn’t though,” Grace pointed out, grabbing her brother’s hand with a smile. “You were still their little Tristan, no matter who you brought home to them.”

“I know,” Tristan smiled, wrapping his arms around Grace’s shoulders. He looked up as they heard a squeal come from the side of the road. He smiled, watching the little kids playing together while their fathers watched them.

“Ready to bring them over?” he asked his sisters. They both nodded and indicated for their husbands to bring the kids.

“Who is this Mommy?” Owen, Raven’s son, asked, looking at the rock in front of him.

“This is your Grandma and Grandpa Sullivan,” Raven told him.

“Grandpa was famous wasn’t he?” Owen’s sister, Gloria, asked, looking up at her aunt and uncle.

“He was, but he gave it all up for us,” Raven answered her daughter.

“I want to meet him and Grandma,” Owen said as Robert, Grace’s husband, handed her their two year old daughter.

“You will buddy, but not anytime soon.” Tristan assured his nephew, wrapping his arms around the boy’s shoulders. “We need you here right now. I’ll go crazy without my basketball buddy.”

“Speaking of buddies, where’s Kyle?” Raven asked Tristan, referring to her brother’s current partner.

“His parents took him out for lunch. I’m supposed to meet him at their house. He’s finally going to open up to them.”

“That’s good, just, don’t go in expecting them to react the way Mom and Dad did. You knew them, they didn’t give a damn about anything unless we were happy.” Raven said.

“Which is why you had a baby at seventeen,” Graiclynn reminded her. “Not saying anything bad though, nudging Gloria with her elbow. “I wouldn’t trade my niece for anything.”

“So, I say we all go out to lunch ourselves,” Raven suggested, grabbing Tristan’s hand.

“Can I ride with Uncle Tristan?” Owen asked his mother, looking up at her with pleading eyes.

“If it’s okay with him.”

“You know it is,” Tristan smiled at his sister, grabbing his nephew’s other hand. “Where we heading?”

“Diner on main street?” Raven asked, a sparkle forming in her eyes as she thought of the place. It was where her mother had worked to support the two of them when Jimmy wasn’t in the picture. She never grudged him over it. He never knew she was born, so he wouldn’t have been around.

“Let’s go,” Grace agreed as Rob put his arm around her shoulders.

When they arrived at the diner, a sight they never expected met them there. A large crowd was sitting at one table. Four families gathered together in celebration of life.

“Uncle Matt!” Owen called out, seeing his grandfather’s best friend. Matt turned around and saw the kids walking toward them, and a smile lit his face.

“Hey guys,” he replied as the others looked up. “Care to join us?”

“It looks like you have enough, but we’ll take a rain check,” Grace answered him.

“Nope, not happening. We’ll get you set up,” Matt answered with a laugh. Two tables were added to the line and the five families sat together, though as usual, something was missing.

“It’s still weird not having them here,” Brian sighed, looking around the line of tables.

“They’re here,” Johnny spoke up. “Right there,” he pointed toward Raven, Graiclynn, and Tristan with a smile.

“Not the same,” Zack muttered.

“Hey, we’re here, they’d want us to have fun, so let’s do it.” Matt said, smirking at everyone.

“Agreed,” Grace smiled at her uncle, opening the kids menu. The group chattered about everything while eating. From Jimmy and Cameron, to what the future holds. They knew things wouldn’t be the same without Jimmy and Cameron there with them, but they knew that things would be okay, and that whatever the future holds, they will once again be ready to face it head on.