It was eight that night when he finally made it to Chad's freshly dug grave. He sat down beside the tombstone, and finally sobbed. He sobbed and sobbed. He cried for all the memories he had. Cried for all the times that would never be. Cried because he would never hug his brother close again. This isn't fair, he told himself, isn't fair at all. He was right.
Joe
I hear something behind me. I look up fast and brace myself. Behind me I see a woman in a white gown. The wind is blowing her blonde hair and gown. Odd. There isn't even a breeze. I get to my feet and face her. "Who are you and what do you want?" I ask.
She just looks at me. "Would you like another chance boy?" she says. She then glances towards Chads grave, "with your brother?"
"What do you mean another chance?" I ask. "Just who are you?"
The woman with the long hair just looks at me. There's nothing really creepy about her. Her clothing is just weird. The sun was setting. Wasn't quite night yet. I continued to stare at her.
"What do I need to do?" I ask.
The woman nods in the direction she turns to take. Following her, I watch as my surroundings change. Suddenly i'm in front of a two storied house and in a nice yard. Looking around, I make the connection. This is my childhood home. In the front yard, I notice a younger version of chad pushing what looked like a younger version of me in a swing. "Higher. Higher!" I scream with glee. Chad pushes harder. I am giggling and smiling widely. The sight sends chills down my spine. "Fly Joey! Fly high in the sky!!" Chad says, smiling. I certainly looked happy. Chad is enjoying this as well.
"Come," the blonde headed woman says. "More to see."
Soon we are at the same house, only now the seasons have changed, and I am now older. Chad is as well. I watch as Chad hits a ball with his bat, making it fly high and over towards the younger version of me. I catch it with my glove. "Well done Joey. You're gonna knock 'em dead come baseball season." Chad says. The younger version of me looks at him and smiles. "Will you be there at my games, watching?" I ask. He pauses, smiles, then responds. "I will always be there for you joey." Both the younger chad and joey look at each other and smile. I was enamored by all that I saw. I forgot how much I loved my older brother. Forgot how often he had been there for me. He had encouraged, accompanied, and cheered me on so many obvious times in my life.
"We have one more scene to see." The blonde headed woman says. I didn't want to leave this scene. I didn't want to leave my brother. "Come!!" The lady said more strictly.
The final scene was in our current house. This last Christmas. Chad was at the tree. He was looking through all the gifts. He picked one particular box up. It was addressed to me from him. He had a card he pulled out of his pocket and placed on top of the gift. I remember that card! But the words inside were what caused a huge lump to form in my throat next. Chad had written a small letter inside. It had said, "you will always be my buddy. And I will always love you." I couldnt stop the tears. I sobbed. I watched the younger chad place his present back under the tree. Just as I was getting ready to follow the blonde back to the cemetery, suddenly, the younger chad turned to me.
He was smiling. He was actually looking at me!!!. Then he speaks to me!!!! "Joey!...... One last hug?" He asks. His arms spread out and a huge smile appears on his face. "Y-y-yeah." I struggle to say through sobs. I step forward and into his arms. I throw my arms around him and I cry and cry into his hair and neck. He hugs back with just as Much ferocity. I don't know how long we stood there like that. Minutes. Hours. Days. All I know is I wake up by his tombstone at some point. Its dark and stars inhabit a dark blue sky. A dream? Or more? I didn't know. But when I look over at the tombstone I'm near, I don't see his name any longer. Only Grandpa's. Suddenly my cell phone rings. Chad's name appears on the caller ID..
I immediately answer. "Chad...... is that really you??" I ask, half crying, half wildly. "Joey," I hear a voice. "Joey, mom is worried sick. Where are you?" The voice asks. "Chad!!! Is this you!?" I ask again. ......silence.
"Yes joey, its me. I'm here."
"Chad," I say. "I love you so much!!"
Chad gasps. Then he makes a comment that I must be trippin' on something. "C'mon. Mom is worried. We're coming to get you." I stutter, then I get my bearings together and I dizzily tell Chad where I am. Then I sit back down in the grass. How is this possible? What on earth happened? How could this be? ...... Having hung up the phone, I close my eyes. Someone or something gave me another chance. I don't know how. I don't know why. .......but one thing was clear. When Chad and mom get here, I'm hugging chad as hard as I can. And this time, I'm never letting go!!!
The End
