The wild ride called life

“December 28th will be two years … these have been the hardest two years in my life. I still wake up crying sometimes…” I sighed as I tried to think of what to say. “I had lost my phone so no one was able to call and tell me. I was driving to go get a new phone when the song on the radio ended and cut to the dj…” I took a deep breath tears threatening to spill from my eyes, and tried to calm myself. “They … they said that you had died. I slammed on my breaks stopping in disbelief and was almost rear ended. I didn’t believe them I thought it had been some horrible joke.” I started tracing the letters of his name on his grave stone letting the tears finally fall from my eyes. “Of course I had to lose my phone the day before, the day you had actually died.” I wiped the tears that were now streaming down my face now. “What am I supposed to do now? What am I supposed to do without you? You’re never going to see you’re daughter grow up. How am I supposed to do this without you? Do you know how hard it was to tell our four year old that her father had died? My heart broke having to do that. She’s okay now though … she’s really smart; she started kindergarten this year and she’s doing great. She just turned six in November … but I guess you would have known that.” I chuckled slightly as I sat a picture down on his grave stone. “I’m so sorry that it took me almost two years to come and see you, but I just couldn’t do it. I somehow thought that if I didn’t go to you’re funeral that it meant that this hadn’t really happened. That you would pop up somewhere and yell surprise, but like a lot of things that’s never going to happen.” I looked around and saw Brian approaching me. “Well I’ll talk to you later Jimbo … Oh by the way I’m finally moving back. I assume you already know the reasons why. I know you’re the one who saved my life that night. Any who … I’ll be back to see you and it wont take another two years I pinkly promise” I said with a smile on my face.

I stood up wiping the tears from my cheeks and the grass off of my jeans. Brian wrapped an arm around my shoulders and hugged me. “I’ll take good care of Heather and Payton for you … I wont let anything else happen to them bro. I’ve decided she’s not allowed to drive anymore.” He said chuckling. I just looked at him mouth open wide in shock. “Hey my tire blew … that was not my fault!” I said defending myself. “And who let their tires get so bald that they were at the point of blowing?” He retorted rolling his eyes. I sighed “It was my only bald tire all the other ones were new … I didn’t have the money to get all four of them replaced at the same time. Do you have any idea how hard it is to be a single mother?” I asked Brian placing my hands on my hips. “Well you know you could have asked any of us guys and we would have helped you out.” He replied placing his hands on his hips mocking me. “I kind of thought that after Jimmy died and I refused to go to the funeral you had given up on me.” I said with a frown. The wind started blowing harder and I felt something hit me on the head. I looked at the acorn that now lay by my feet and then back up at the tree only to have another acorn fall and hit me between my eyes on the bridge on my nose. Brian tightened his grip on my shoulders “Since Jimmy is no longer here that was his way of hitting you on the back of the head for ever thinking that we wouldn’t want anything to do with you anymore. The moment we heard about your accident we flew down to Texas to see you in the hospital. We love you Heather. Regardless of what happened between you and Jimmy we’ve always have been there for you. We grew up together and we will grow old together too.” He said with a smile on his lips. I smiled back at him turning around to face him and hugged him. “I’m so sorry I’ve been so distant these past couple of years … I just … It just hurts so bad … I just thought that seeing you guys would break my heart even more then it already was.” I said my voice barley above a whisper now. He kissed my head and looked me in the eyes. “We all just figured you needed your time. You’ve been through a lot in your life and Jimmy dying was just the icing on the cake. We knew that you would eventually come around, but we didn’t think that it would take you almost dying to make you come around.”

I smiled and looked at Jimmy’s headstone “Next time I come back I’ll bring Payton with me. She’s still in Houston right now. She’s staying with my mom while I find a place here. I’ve missed you so much.” I said shedding tear. I turned to face Brian one last time. “I’m ready to leave whenever you are.” I said with a slight smile on my face. He placed a single red rose on his grave next to the picture of Payton I had placed earlier. “We’ll see you later bro, and like I said before we will take good care of your two loved ones. I know how much they meant to you.” He turned around and we started the walk back to his car. “So are you ready to tell the guys that you’re moving back. I haven’t said anything to them yet. I kept it a secret. I know how much everybody has missed you.” I smile and nodded my head yes. “Let’s give these fuckers the surprise of their lives!” I said as I began running to the car.