He tightened his grip on it and rose, staring down at the girl in the coffin. Annie looked just as beautiful as she had in life. Her light brown tresses were down, and just a hint of makeup had been applied to her cheeks. Then Thomas noticed the dress; it was the same one that she had worn to senior prom just one month before. And suddenly he wasn’t in the funeral home anymore, but slow dancing with Annie while her head lay on his shoulder. Then he sighed and remembered where he was, that Annie was now dead. His eyes turned to Annie, and looked upon her eyelids. Beneath them were eyes that were a magnificent, shining gray color. He remembered the countless times that he would look into those them, dazzled. Now, they would forever be shut.
She was so beautiful that it was hard to believe how she could have met such a gruesome end. Doctors had done all they could to clean up the many stab wounds she had received.
Thomas knew he would have to get back to his seat; the ceremony was going to start very soon. Before he left, he closed his eyes and blew her a kiss. “I love you,” he whispered, tears rolling down his cheeks. He turned to find a seat in the second row, next to his parents. Mr. and Mrs. Ryan were sitting right in front of them; they were both crying softly. Mrs. Ryan’s face was buried in her husband’s chest. Annie had been their only daughter. Since the murder, the police had stopped by twice a week to update them on how the search for the murderer had been going. They still didn’t know who had done it; the only witness had just seen the killer’s shadow. Each day Thomas’s frustration had grew; anyone who would think of murdering a person like Annie deserved to rot in jail and not roam free. If he could, he’d help the police in whatever way he could to find the murderer.
The priest walked up to the podium, a bible in hand. He was a short, balding man, probably in his fifties. “We are here today to mourn the loss of Anne Elizabeth Ryan. To everyone that knew her, she was a kind and caring person, a talented individual, and a friend. Today, let us celebrate her life, for in eighteen short years she was able to lead an amazing one.” Thomas’s heart skipped a beat. He had almost forgotten that Annie was only a nickname—the only time he ever really heard her called Anne was in class at the beginning of the year when teachers took attendance for the first time or when her name was printed in programs for the school play.
And then the priest began to read Psalm twenty-three. Before this, Thomas had only heard it in the movies. And now it was real and being read for Annie. The last part, “Goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” made his tears start to flow again.
He read a few more verses, and when he finished, he said, “And now, I think Thomas Pike wants to come up and say something?”
Thomas nodded and dried his tears, walking up to the podium shakily. The priest moved to the side and handed him the microphone. Thomas took the paper out of his hand and bit his lip, telling himself that he wouldn’t let himself cry again. His throat hurt and his stomach was tight, so he wasn’t sure how he would be able to speak. But somehow, he managed it.
“I first met Annie in seventh grade. Two months into the school year, I had moved from Virginia to here, in Connecticut. I was nervous and scared to be starting at a new school, as I’m sure anyone would be. Annie was in my first period. It was history, if I remember right. She was so kind and caring. I remember she showed me around the school and helped me find all of my classes. She talked to me and sat with me at lunch when no one else would. She-“ He began to tear up again, remembering what seventh grade had been like. He had been constantly teased and picked on, yet Annie had still remained his friend. “She loved people, and always tried to see the good in them.’ He hadn’t included this in the speech. “To her, every stranger was a friend she hadn’t met yet.
“It was before long that I had developed a crush on her. We began dating in the spring of our freshman year.”
Thomas paused. A torrent of happy memories began to flood through his mind. There was their first kiss behind the rosebushes in her backyard. There was the time they went to Six Flags for Physics class and Annie wouldn’t let him chicken out on any roller coasters. There was one upside down one that she had wanted to go on. “Come on! It will be so much fun!” she had said, laughing. After several protests, Annie had finally won and they had gone on the roller coaster. And it had been frightening, but altogether marvelous. There was also the time where he had made chocolate cake (without burning it!) for Annie’s surprise birthday party. Thinking of all of this, for a second or so, it was as if she was still alive.
Thomas felt crying again, but he pressed on. “Annie got me to try new things, like joining the drama department. She acted and I helped work on sets and props. For four years it’s been my favorite part of school, and in college I’ll be working to major in construction so that I can be an architect. Thanks to Annie, I’ve found my dream job.” He could feel his throat tightening up, and he exhaled deeply before continuing. “Every day, she came to school with a smile on her face. She was an angel in human form, and I loved her dearly.”
He paused a minute, looking at Mr. and Mrs. Ryan. They were smiling at him, soft tears flowing down their faces.
“If she was still alive, there was no doubt I would have proposed.” The last part was something he hadn’t written for the speech. As he speed-walked back to his seat, he noticed the tears of everyone there.
After the funeral there was a small gathering at the Ryan home for some of Annie’s closest family and friends. Thomas was on the couch in the living room, staring at the blank TV. The house felt oddly incomplete without her here; he would look by the door and expect her to come jolting in, a beaming smile on her face.
When he had been here before, he’d thought little of the place. Often times the only reason he was there was because he and Annie couldn’t go anywhere else or they were waiting for a ride from friends. Now he saw the house as the most beautiful place in the world. He wanted to touch every bit of furniture, sniff every scent.
He looked up and saw Mr. and Mrs. Ryan; by the looks on their faces he could tell they had been there for quite some time. They both had wine glasses in their hands and were smiling.
“Thomas,” said Mr. Ryan, “That speech you gave, it was beautiful. Annie would have loved it.”
Thomas simply nodded
. He didn’t know what to say.
Then Mrs. Ryan surprised Thomas by kneeling down and giving him a hug. “She really loved you, you know. You added so much to her life.” She stood up and looked into his eyes with a smile. “Feel free to visit us any time you want, okay? We may not have Annie anymore, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be a son to us.”
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