Introduction
Sam sat staring blankly at the priest in the church. She knew he was talking but what he was saying was falling on her deaf ears. She was witnessing something she never thought she would have to see so early. She was sitting in the second row at St Matthews Church in Brooklyn staring at her best friend's casket. The last words that Dominique said to her three days ago were still so fresh in her mind.
"If you still love him then tell him Sammy! Life is to short for you not to be with the Love of your Life, don't waste anymore time!" It was during that conversation that they were interrupted by Sophia and Marco Dominique's 6 year old twins who came bounding into the living room with faces that could barely contain their wide grins.
"Mommy, Tia Sammy we're Hungry!" they said in unison "Can we go to Monticello's for lunch pllleaaaaassse?!" Sam and Dominique laughed in unison at the two hungry children that stood before them. Dominique winked at Sam and told her children "Only if you clean up your rooms" The twins took turns wrapping there arms around each woman and kissing them on the cheek before they ran off to complete the task that there mother just assigned.
That was the last memory that she had of her best friend in the world and it was currently being interrupted by Sophia and Marco, but this time it was not by the joyous laughter and big smiles as was the last time, but it was Marco and Sophia screaming for their mother. These screams bombarded her current thoughts and caused her to jolt back to reality. What Sam saw ripped her into pieces. Sophia and Marco had broken from their father and grandfather who were sitting in the row in front of Sam and were sobbing at there mothers casket. Gabriel Dominique's husband and Alexander Dominique's father both looked at Sam and their eyes pleaded for her help. Sam rose quickly from her seat and went to Sophia and Marco. She knelt down next to them and whispered for them to come with her and sit with Tia Sammy. With that the Children both turned to her sobbing and clinging to her as if they were drowning and Sam was the only thing keeping them afloat. Alexander and Gabriel pulled Sam up from the ground one on each side of her and escorted her back to her seat while she held the children.
The rest of the service was like a bad dream to Sam. Her body was present but her mind was not. She remembered getting up and walking out of the church behind the empty shell that was once her best friend. She wanted to crawl into a whole and cry until the pain went away but she had to keep going. She had two little bodies that flanked her right and left side that needed her right now so she was going to have to make it somehow. As was her duty Sam held her head high and made eye contact with some of the people who were in attendance at the packed to capacity funeral of her beloved friend. As she was walking down the center aisle of the church her mind could not register who any of this people were even though she had known them, met them and even liked the majority of them. The final pair of eyes she made contact with did register with her for a split second. They were familiar to her and at a time before would have brought her great comfort. For a split second she thought that they were his. But was she hallucinating? Was she imagining him? She was only able to make contact with those eyes for a minute because her attention was quickly reverted to Sophia who collapsed in a wave of grief on her left side. Sam reached down and picked up the girl with her left arm while wrapping her right arm around Marco as if shielding him from everyone and everything as he clung to her with both arms around her tiny waist.