Good Evening.
Flashing lights tear the blissful darkness of night in this suburban neighborhood. EMT's curse as they try to get the bleeding to stop but it’s no use, the unidentified females head had gone through the windshield of the passenger side of the wrecked Civic and was now bleeding out of her sliced jugular. They tried as much as they could to keep pressure on the wound but it just kept bleeding, the cops were at the scene checking the car as they placed her in the ambulance and tried to make it to the hospital in time. The girl, who appeared to be young, was covered in cuts and was bleeding profusely. She was conscious to an extent, as conscious as one in this state could be, she reached out slowly, asking for someone to please hold her hand, begging not to be alone with her eyes. The EMT in the back held her hand which was growing cold due to blood loss and a tear came to his eye, such a beautiful young life, and he knew she wouldn’t make it, As much as he wanted to help her she had lost too much blood.
Her eyes closed as they rushed her into the doors of the hospital and her arm fell limp. The doctor in charge knew only that the girl had come from a car crash and had lost a lot of blood; he wasn’t expecting what he saw. A girl drained of all her life; it made him sick to his stomach as they laid her down on the table. The only noise he heard was the charging of the defibrillators, he was blocking out the panic the voices around him held, he kept his composure and with a loud stable voice yelled, "Clear," he gave her a jolt trying to restart her heart, followed by 3 more. They were no use. As he walked away he looked at the clock and saw the time 11:32, he called the time of death and a tear rolled from his face. Behind him laid the body of a girl no older than his own daughter and she was gone, bled dry from glass that ripped into her flesh from the impact.
12 pm at the house of Mr. and Mrs. O'Henry, the phone rings and their dog Bruno begins to bark. Mr. O'Henry, a stern military man of about 6 feet, rolls out of bed in white and blue boxers and a muscle shirt. He picks up the phone while massaging his beard, he thinks he needs to shave as he picks up the phone, "Hello?" he says into the phone in an aggravated voice. "May I speak with Mr. or Mrs. O'Henry please?" Again aggravated and showing it more, "Speaking." “Sir, your stepdaughter has gotten into an accident and...I'm sorry I don’t know how to say this any better... to say she didn’t survive, we need you to well...we need you to go and...Identify Lacy's body and fill out paperwork...well whenever you can...I’m so sorry for your loss sir." What color was left in the 55 year old man’s face left as he dropped the phone and it broke apart, batteries skidding across the floor. He walks into the bedroom slowly and sits down next to his wife. She was sleeping soundly and he didn’t know what to do, he was torn apart inside, he had loved his step daughter so much, and not being able to have his own children, always thought of her as his own. Tears ran down his chiseled face from his dark brown eyes, he ran his fingers through his short hair, which was now starting to show signs of grey. He felt like crying out like a wounded animal, howling for its young. He slowly slid his trembling hand on that of his wife. She woke up slowly with a smile on her still pretty face even at the age of 45. She was a brunette with hair to her shoulders, her eyes blue like the Gulf of Mexico and her smile could stop anyone in their path. “What is it Bill? Your hands are cold as ice." She said while slightly smiling and rubbing his hands. "Lisa I don’t know how to tell you this.... I just got a call from the hospital...Lacy was in an accident.... and... Lisa... she didn’t make it." Every muscle in her body contracted and she let out a sound that was sure that everyone in the neighborhood heard. Mrs. O'Henry buried her head in her husbands chest sobbing and he wrapped his arms around her. Laying there in pure mourning.
Mandy laid and waited in the room the doctor had given her to inspect her broken bones. She had been driving the car; only if she had seen the deer sooner she could have stopped, only if Lacy had been wearing her seatbelt right, only if the airbags had worked. So many thoughts running through her already pounding head. She only had a few drinks, she thought she could handle driving home, her conscience was killing her, she wish it were her instead of Lacy in that operating room. Lacy had so much to live for, an honor roll student with a loving boyfriend and an awesome chance at a scholarship to a good college. All ruined because her white trash pity friend had to get drunk and hit a deer. She couldn’t bare the thought of losing her friend, she had never told her how much she meant to her, how much it meant to her that first day of middle school when even though no one else would talk to her she did because she saw I was feeling lonely she thought. Lacy can’t die Mandy thought. But the doctor came in with a sullen look on his face and Mandy burst out into tears.
Gram woke up with a start from a nightmare he couldn't remember but he was soaked in sweat. He was muscular for his size of 5'10 and had short brown hair.... he reached over and checked his cell phone for the time, it was 12:30 and he knew he couldn’t get back to sleep. Gram had always had nightmares and it lead to him developing a later case of insomnia, but no one could ever tell him why, they always seemed to come right before a change in his life. He thought to himself what is it this time as he got up out of bed and walked to his computer to turn on an episode of X-Files. All of a sudden he hears his cell phone ring, he never gets calls this late. Hopefully its Lacy calling to make up after the fight they had had about her going out and drinking tonight. He really loved Lacy and hated fighting with her, he had. He walks over and checks the caller ID on the phone, Mandy was calling... Why would Mandy be calling this late? He slowly picks up the phone and asks, "What’s up?” Mandy answers in a hard choking voice like she had been crying for hours and couldn’t stop but was trying. "G... G... Gram...Macy and I got in... an accident... it's all my fault... she's in the.... she’s in surgery right now... I don’t know how she... is... come down here... you need to... be with her... please come." Gram froze, no... This couldn’t be happening... Not to him, this only happens to other people, never me. But he gathered a breath and said, "I’m on my way”. He put on his cargo pants and threw on his shoes. As he left the door he grabbed a tight fitting Finch shirt and pulled it on as he got into the car. It was spring and it was raining outside... God it reminded him so much of Lacy... she always loved warm rain.
Gram reached the hospital 15 minutes later and ran into Mandy’s mom in the emergency room entrance. Mandy’s family life never was so great; her mom was always drunk and her dad had left when she was little. Her mom always tried to fill the void with boyfriends who always ended up abusing her and her daughter. She walked up in high heels, a denim skirt, and a tank top to the front desk and asked "What did my dumb daughter do this time?" Gram was too focused on seeing Lacy to care. Just then, Lacy's step dad who had never quite liked how Gram looked, with his lip ring and his nail polish, he always thought she could do better, but he knew that Gram treated Lacy well, and he appreciated that much. Gram rushed over and asked, "Mr. O'Henry, where's Lacy I just got a call from Mandy and she said she was here and I needed to come see her.” Tears were running down the stern man’s face and all he could do is wrap his arms around Gram and say in a hoarse but caring voice, "She's with the Lord now, son." Gram pushed back "No... she... no... You’re lying... she cant be". Gram fell on his knees and looked at the ground, tears streaming down his face and sliding off. Fists clenched showing the veins on his arms. He looked up and cried out "Why now God... Why her?" Gram got up and got in his car. Not listening to the people behind him telling him to come back and mourn. He just couldn’t take to be seen like this... he needed to escape.
Lacy was the center of her school, not only because she was gorgeous, but also because her personality shined so bright out of the ordinary high school politics. She was nice to everyone no matter where they sat, what they looked like, or whom they hung out with. She was nice to them because they were people just like her and she understood that, something most teenagers never grasp. So the next morning the school was in shock to find out what had happened. Everyone was sitting in class when the loud speaker came on and crackled, "It is my sad duty to inform the staff and student body that in the result of a car accident that is under investigation by the local police department, has cost us the life of one of our most prized students. Lacy Jones was pronounced dead last night at Freedom Hospital... We do not have details yet as to funeral arrangements and will be sure to inform you as soon as we know. We also propose a moment of silence in Lacey's memory as soon as this announcement is over, if anyone needs guidance or condolence for the loss of Lacy, please report to the guidance office... thank you.” The silence present after that announcement was deafening... silent tears ran down students’ faces in almost every classroom. No one knew what to do, Lacy had always been the one to comfort people when tragedy struck, now she was gone. Her best friend, Jackie, just got up and left her class. No one said anything. No one knew what to say or how to say it. They just let her go, she went, got into her car and drove home, tears clouding her vision as she listened to her Blink182 CD Lacy had burned for her days before.
Jackie got home and ran into her room, she locked the door and just stared around it, everything in it reminded her of Lacy, every picture every stuffed animal every thing in the whole room had at one point been in Lacy's hands or Lacy had been fooling around with it. She stared at the mirror, Jackie had always been overshadowed by Lacy's good looks but Lacy had never bragged. She always complimented her and did her makeup, telling her how pretty she was. She was short, 5'2”, and had long brown hair, she wasn’t ugly or normal, she was just pretty, nothing too special like Lacy. But Lacy had seen something in her, something inside of her that made her love her. Jackie still didn’t know what it was but she just couldn’t take it, Lacy was gone and she laid back on her bed, opened her drawer and pulled out her all to familiar razor. She had promised lacy she threw it out, but she hadn’t; She couldn't. It was the only thing that made her believe she was still alive as she sliced into her flesh on her leg and let the blood drip, laid her eyes back and just cried, cried for every day she would have to face without the person she had loved most in the world.
Matt walked into Gram’s house after school that day. He knew Gram would be here because Gram’s car was in the driveway. They had been next-door neighbors for years and he knew Gram would never leave his car if he were going to leave. He walked down the stairs and saw bottles everywhere; He had been drinking. Gram always drank when he used to be depressed but he had quit before he met Lacy, tried to turn his life around. He had been addicted to pain killers and drugs, he had done so many things he regretted and he just wanted to change. He saw Lacey as his angel who helped him pull through, to him she was the only addiction he needed, being with her the only high that got him anywhere. Matt picked Gram up off his bed and drug him into the shower, Matt was a big guy, about 6'2”, and 200 pounds... so he drug him with one arm while he opened the doors with the other. He turned on the water and smacked Gram trying to wake him up, in the process getting his own brown, shaggy, hair wet so it drooped in front of his eyes. Gram opened his bloodshot eyes slowly and just had what looked like the face of a man who had nothing left to lose, hollow, empty, and sunken in. He could die right there and you wouldn’t know, because in all senses he appeared dead. Gram slowly started to curl up in a ball in the back of the shower and just held his knees, crying into them while Matt rubbed his back telling him, "It’s going to be ok man, she’d want you to go on man, come on man get up." But he just sat there rocking, crying to himself.
Mr. and Mrs. O'Henry had arranged for their daughter’s funeral to be on a Wednesday afternoon and her service that morning, the viewing the evening prior. They had decided on an open casket and that Jackie and Kristen would talk and that Matt would play Green Day “Time of Your Life,” on guitar, it was always her favorite song. The school announced this to the student body on Tuesday morning. The majority of the school wanted to go and pay their respects to their friend and classmate. They all felt like a piece of them were missing. None more than Mandy who had just gotten home from the hospital the evening prior. She couldn’t take it. She blamed herself; she had killed her best friend, probably the only one in the world who cared about her. She couldn’t live with herself. Crying she wrote out a note in red pen explaining why she didn’t believe she deserved to live. Why she wished it were she instead of Lacy, she said to sll her car and put 1000 roses on Lacy's grave, But to toss her own body in the ocean. She believed she deserved the worse, in her head she played it out so perfect she signed it "Your forgotten stain". She waited until her mom and her boyfriend were asleep and she snuck into their room and took out the .45 caliber pistol her mom’s boyfriend kept for protection. She went in the bathroom of the mobile home and sat down in the bathtub. She said her prayer and whispered, “Forgive me.” She put the gun in her mouth and pulled the trigger. Putting one more leak in the homes already patched up roof.
Tuesday afternoon Gram woke up crying. He had dreamed Lacy had asked him why he didn’t go with her to watch her friends that night, why he had decided to fight her about it, and her neck was bleeding and she was crying.... he couldn’t answer in his dream because he had no mouth, he had no power so he just watched her slowly die, it made him fall to his knees and beg God to save her. No such salvation came from his pleas, only more blood that slowly started to fill up the room and drowned him. As the blood rushed into his lungs he woke up. He could swear he tasted it on his lips, the salty taste of blood. He got up and tried to look himself in the mirror, but his teary eyes made him feel weak. He never let himself feel weak after his dad left; he couldn’t because his mom needed him to be strong. He never cried and now he was there, crying, hurting, he couldn’t stand it so he punched his mirror shattering it and slicing open his hand. He walked into the bathroom and grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his now blood soaked knuckles. He had to go to Lacy’s wake with Matt in 2 hours, he had to. He just had to hold her hand. One last time before he couldn’t any more. He wiped his eyes and found his black blazer and red tie; he put them on his chair and started to get dressed.
A darkness unsettling about the night sky hung over the Jackson Funeral Home. The small church-like building stood in solemn silence as the wind blew against it. As if a thousand times before it had felt winds like this and it would feel thousands more. It stood at the edge of the cemetery that Lacy's parents planned to bury her. The doors were open and the crimson red carpet could be seen as students and friends were dropped off. The inside was crowded by crying girls, hard faced teenage males trying to hold back tears, and in the corner a collage of pictures had been made showing Lacy growing up, from her first lose tooth to her junior year class portrait. She always had this sparkle in her eyes and when Jackie saw it she couldn’t help but let tears roll down her already make-up smeared face, She was wearing a long sleeve shirt and long skirt like she always did, people always guessed she cut but never asked. Jackie didn’t care at this time, on the opposite side of the room she knew that sparkle had faded from Lacy’s eyes, she knew that it had because she had just stood over Lacy and put a rose on her chest. Matt had placed his hand on her shoulder and tried to comfort her but she couldn’t handle it. She didn’t want to have to say goodbye.
The hall was full of hushed talking and comforting gestures, but the second Gram walked into the room everyone stopped. Gram looked like he had just ran for 2 days straight, drained of all color and energy. He didn’t care that everyone was looking, nor did he even notice, all he saw was the redwood box shining at the front with the top open and the white silk that lined the inside. People cleared a path as he walked up to the box. There she was, the love of his life, the girl he had first opened his heart to. First really trusted, he just wanted to kiss her and wake her up but he knew he couldn’t. Her dark red dress was covered in roses and made her look ever paler than she already was. With tears sliding down his face, Gram kissed Lacy's forehead, slid onto her finger a diamond ring he had been saving for prom, and whispered, "My heart is forever yours.” He got down on one knee and prayed. Something he hadn’t done since before his dad left, he prayed to see Lacy again some day and give him strength. He rose off his knee and left in silence with everyone’s eyes following him, with only one pair of footsteps behind him, Jackie's.
In the parking lot Jackie caught up to Gram and grabbed him by the arm. She looked him in the eye and hugged him and put her face in his shoulder, "I... m... i... ss... h... er s... o much" she seemed to say in between the cries and coughs. Gram wrapped his strong arms around her and drew her close and whispered into her ear, "Lacy always loved you like a sister and I know you meant the world to her," he said in his most sincere voice. No hesitation he hugged her tight and said goodbye and got in his car and put his keys into the ignition. Taking a deep breath in and looking in the rear view mirror he backed out of the space and drove forward onto the main road. He needed an answer to his question so he went to the only place he could think of, church. He walked in and screamed at the top of his lungs, "Is this what you call justice oh Holy one! Is this what you call redemption?!” All he heard was his echo as he ran up to the front of the small catholic church and threw the candle stand at the cross on the wall. "You didn’t know true suffering, you never lost your love. You took that from me! You took everything I had!" Falling on his hands and knees as the priest came out from the confessional to see what the hell was going on. Gram stood up and walked outside, his fists bleeding from pounding at the floor.
The morning of the funeral was dark but warm as it rained down onto the Jackson Funeral Home. Black suits and black dresses drenched as people entered the home. The hall where Lacy’s funeral was being held was full in minutes and out of standing room soon after. People waited outside in the rain as the curator promised to hook up a PA to the mic and run it outside. Hundreds of people had shown up for this, the last farewell to Lacy. Her parents sat in the front row of pews and right behind them sat Matt and his guitar and Kristen and Jackie whipping their eyes. Next to Matt sat Gram who was silent since Matt had picked him up that morning. All he said was that he wanted to sing the song while Matt played the guitar. Matt couldn’t say no, he knew Gram had a better voice than he did, but he also
knew that Gram might break down and he didn’t want that, he didn’t want that at all. But as the service started and the priest started he couldn’t go back on his word now.
Even though the priest gave words to comfort the grieving, all that could run through Jackie’s head is how in only a few minutes, could she describe how much Lacy meant to her. She sat there in her black dress with mascara running down her face, and her eyes focused on her hands as they shook on her lap. She only then heard the pastor’s voice as he called her up to speak. She slowly got up and walked up onto the area where the coffin and Lacy’s pictures were. She slowly picked up the microphone and stared out into the grieving crowd, her friends, her classmates, and even her teachers were all mourning for Lacy. "We all live one life, one life that we’re given to do what we want with that life. Lacy Jones was my best friend. Without her I would have ended my life 2 summers ago after my dad left. She stayed with me. That whole week, and trust me, a week with me could drive away anyone." The crowd chuckled in a uncomfortable but welcome way. “Lacy just couldn’t turn her back on anyone, she was truly an angel among men. She lived her life to the fullest she could in the short time she was given. I just wish somehow she could be here today, to see how many people loved her. She would have hated to know that her death was blamed on her drunken friend, she would have said, "I made the choice to get in the car," and even though we all want to hate her for it, the girl who drove, well...she felt so guilty she ended her life... Lacy had meant that much to her. To me that says something. It reminds me of the question, “Is one good person’s life worth that of many others?” To me, I think Lacy would have thought so. She affected so many peoples’ lives and all I can say is... well she was the best any of us could wish to be. She was so composed when we all would fall on the ground writhing in self misery. I for one know I owe my life to Lacy, as I'm sure many of you also feel. I end it on this note, bare with me because I know I’m not a talented speaker... Lacy was my best friend and even though not by blood, she was my sister. By all in this world I would give anything to have her back and I will pray for her every night until we meet again." She wrapped up before breaking into tears, the priest walked up behind her and walked her to her seat.
Matt was breathing hard as he walked up to the front with his guitar and Gram by his side. He sat down on the stool as Gram straightened the mic. Gram turned to Matt and counted it down. Matt began playing. Gram came in on cue in his deep voice and started to sing-
"Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road.
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go.
So make the best of this test, and don't ask why.
It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time.
It's something unpredictable, but in the end is right.
I hope you had the time of your life.
So take the photographs, and still frames in your mind.
Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time.
Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial.
For what it's worth, it was worth all the while.
It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.
It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.
It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life."
As the last note left his voice, tears trickled down his face and Matt stopped playing and helped him go sit down. The priest then said his religious duty over the body. She was to be buried as catholic and remembered as such. All that rang in Matt's mind is how well Gram had sung that song, millions of times at band practice he had sung that song but never with such feeling and such passion. He looked at Matt who was next to him crying, and he put his arm around him and whispered, "She loved you more than life, and that hasn’t changed Gram, it will never change."
The priest closed his bible and called forward the pallbearers... Matt and Gram took their spot in front and were followed by Lacy’s Stepfather and his military friends who Lacy had grown up treating like uncles. They raised the coffin and began to walk towards the doors towards the cemetery. Jackie opened the doors and led the way out into the warm rain. As gram walked outside, he looked up and let the rain break on his face as he just walked towards the open grave already ready and waiting to be filled. The pallbearers came to a stop right over the device they use to lower the coffin into the grave. They all took a step back as they were soon surrounded by hundreds of soaked people all wearing black. The priest said one last prayer and they lowered the coffin. They all tossed roses into the grave, and as Gram looked down at the hundreds of roses placed on Lacy’s grave, he swore he saw that same twinkle Lacy always had in her eyes in the water droplets and it made him remember the first night he met Lacy at the lake. He looked up into the sky and whispered, "Someday, I’ll see you again." He turned and walked away, his arm around Matt and Jackie. Three survivors of a tragedy of twisted wreckage and broken bottles.