I Miss You
I wrote this story in Memory of Steven Curtis Chapman's five year old daughter, Maria, who was killed in a tragic car accident last week. I know your family will always miss you Maria. Rest in peace sweet little angel.
Also, I know Speed would probably never play the guitar, but humor me alright?
Summary: Speed revisits his brother's grave after winning the Grand Prix. He brings along a milk bottle, a flower, a guitar, and his voice, a letter he had written when he was young had now become a song, a song for Rex.
The sun was slowly starting to set as eighteen year old Speed Racer pulled through the small metal gate at the small cemetery at the edge of town. He drove the Mach 5 through a few turns passing the small groups of headstones, and all the trees that were planted throughout the small cemetery. He finally came to a stop as he neared the farther end of the cemetery. There among three trees sat three headstones, the first two were Speed's grandparents who had passed away in a car accident not even a year before Speed's older brother Rex was killed in a race, the same race that he himself had won not two weeks earlier. Speed passed by his grandparents' stones gently placing his hand on each of them as he passed by. He stopped at Rex's and knelt down in front of it slowly tracing Rex's name with his fingers. Rex's stone was simple, it read:
Rex Racer
May 19th 1980--November 12th 1998
A devoted son and a loving brother
He will always be remembered.
Speed wiped away a tear as he placed the now empty milk bottle next to Rex's picture on the headstone.
"I did it Rex-I won the Grand Prix," Speed said slowly as more tears threatened to fall, "Pops was so happy, he nearly fell over when he missed one of the steps as the family came to join me on stage. Spritle stole me trophy but don't worry, I'll get it back, no problem."
Speed sat back on his heels not sure what else to say, then he couldn't take it anymore, he let his tears fall, "Oh Rex, I wish so much that you could have been there, I know you would have been proud of me, I just wish you could have seen it."
Speed sat down on the grass and put a flower in the empty milk bottle, "You might not have seen it, but at least I can share some of it with you."
Speed pushed the milk bottle closer to the stone as he pulled the guitar that was slung over his shoulder in front of him.
"Rex, you know how you were always telling me to practice my guitar before I raced? Well believe it or not I listened, I wrote this as a letter to you when I was little, but a few nights ago I found it in my drawer and I played with it on my guitar and it turned into this. This is for you big brother, and it's so true," Speed said as he slowly began to play the simply cords. As his fingers glided across the strings his strong voice began to be heard.
I miss you;
I miss your smile,
And I still shed a tear,
Every once in while,
Though things are different now,
You're still here some how,
My heart will let you go,
But I need you to know,
I miss you.
I know you're in a better place,
But I wish that I could see your face,
I know you're where you need to be,
Even though its not here with me.
I miss you,
I miss your smile,
And I still shed a tear,
Every once in a while,
Though things are different now,
You're still here some how,
My heart will let you go,
But I need you to know,
I miss you.
My heart will let you go,
But I need you to know,
I miss you.
As Speed finished he had tears rolling freely down his face, "I miss you so much Rex, I wish you could have seen me last night, that's really all I wanted, was to see my older brother coming to be with me in victory lane. I knew it wouldn't happen, but I closed my eyes and I almost saw you, some how Rex, I think you did see me win that race." He smiled at the last thought.
Unknown to Speed, someone was hiding behind one of the three tall trees, listening, it was Racer X, but he was no longer wearing his mask, reveling only to the tree that he was non-other then Rex Racer. A smile formed on the older Racer's face and a sparkle entered his dark eyes.
"I miss you too Speed, I did see you win and I couldn't be any more proud to be your older brother," Rex said quietly and then with one more glance at his little brother sitting at what was supposed to be his gravestone, Rex Racer once again disappeared into the night.