Good-Bye To a Friend
"I can't believe that I'm here. Haven't been here since my first year of college for my grandfather. Now I'm sitting here looking at the headstone of the man I pretty much pushed away. The man who’s heart I broke. The headstone of Jack.”
Meredith got closer to the headstone and cleaned it off. It read Jackson Anthony McKinney son, brother, and friend. The day he was born and died. Meredith looked down at her phone to check the time.
A few minutes had passed when a car stopped in the gravel and a young man got out of the car with a thing of yellow flowers. “Sorry the store only had mustard yellow, not dust yellow flowers. We are putting flowers on a grave, not mustard on a street hotdog.” J.G said, putting the flowers in the holder.
Meredith gave him an eye roll and got up from the bench she was sitting on. “You are the only one who can tell the difference of colors of flowers J.G. Come on, let’s say our goodbyes and go.”
He cleared off the top of the headstone and gave a short cough. “The man deserves a little bit better than some crappy flowers and a swift goodbye. I mean you were almost married to him at one point and high school sweethearts. And answer me this, why isn’t Angel here? They were friends too.”
Meredith looked down at the headstone where it said his full name. “Angel went to the wake unlike us so she said her goodbyes to him. Plus you know how Angel is about certain things she gets frazzled over little things. And thanks so much for reminding me that he and I almost got married. So helpful like I don’t feel bad enough as is, Jethro George.”
The two friends stood there for a few more minutes looking at their friends final resting place clearing off some leaves. Then headed to a diner a few streets over. “I still remember after I came out in senior year all those football players gave me shit about it. That toehead Sanders wouldn’t shut the hell up about me. Then, well you remember what Jack did. Gave him one good punch across the face and pretty much broke his jaw. To be fair, Jack was going to walk away but Sanders had to say that last thing then crack.” J.G was laughing at the memory from a lifetime ago.
Meredith put her head down and laughed. “You remember Jack’s favorite food? Deep fried peppers with nacho cheese, sour cream, and black olives. I don’t know how the hell he ate that without getting sick.”
J.G almost choked on his piece of pie remembering how gross it looked. “Says the girl who loved pineapple on pizza instead of the New York garbage pizza like tradition.”
The two friends kept going on about their memories of Jack, the good and the bad.
After they paid and left, Meredith went back to the graveyard to get her car, or so she told J.G. But before getting into her car to leave, she went to his headstone once more.
“Hi again. I just came back for my car. Ok, that’s a lie, I came back here cause I owe you one hell… I owe you a lot but I'm not the one who kept the count, you did that Jack. I’m sorry how it ended with us. I never meant to hurt you the way I did. I will always love you just so you know.”
As Meredith turned to her car to leave a wind came through with the whisper in the breeze. “Love you too.” She looked back and smiled. “I know Jack, I know.” WIth that, Meredith jumped into her car and drove away from the man who she once loved.
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