The Masking Flowers
By: Justin White
No time to prepare, but I was Happy, I thought I knew that I was in the clear. But when I showed a teacher something off my phone, something was different, it scared me. I had seen a message from my aunt; in my head I thought "she never messages me." I had to pass it up; it was time for a different class. Trying to forget it as I walked to class, I sat down. The teacher had begun roll call. His mouth was moving but no sound came out. The message was still prominent in my mind, when it was time to move, I did so. But that message was still worrying me. I gave in, and decided to read the message in the bathroom; I went to the teacher and asked; I got my wanted answer. I couldn't move fast enough. I whipped the bathroom door opened, and ran to a stall. I could put my hand in my pocket fast enough to read the message. When I opened the message; I almost fell over, and cried out loud. The message told me everything, "HAVE YOUR MOM CALL ME NOW!" I was close to getting sick; I was glad I was in the bathroom. My hand still shaking I managed to text my mom. The rest of the day was like it had stopped. The next thing I my feet were leading me out the school. When I entered the car my mom's face confirmed it all. Somewhere, somehow my mom worked up the strength to say that my grandpa died. I tried to look strong but on the inside I had died. In the car she had to call the school to say that I won't be at school. I overheard the lady say "what is the reason for the absence." my mom's voice was breaking when she said, "My father died." When we got home I packed up and went up to bed, I don't even remember getting up, but when we were on our way to Nebraska there was a complete silence. Something I never would've expected. Then next thing I knew we were in Nebraska. When we were there the only thing on my mind was him. I didn't even know that the dreaded day had come, until we went to his service. We standing in line to view the body, I just collapsed tear after tear, running down my face. When I gazed upon the body, it seemed like I just shut down. There was emptiness in me I never had felt it before. It was just working its way into me. I found myself palming an artifact from the last thing me and him did, I wanted to put it with him. When I got to his casket, I gathered up some strength to put it with him. On my way to my seat, I heard my little cousin was saying, "Shhh we don't want to wake be-bop up". I got to my seat and I lost it. I never knew that someone I barely even remembered someone I used to call my uncle, made me cry so much, even though I didn't really know him. My dad grabbed my shoulder and said let's get something to eat. We ended up going to Jimmy Johns. I didn't want anything but my parents forced food on me. We sat down, my parent still forcing food on me. I ended up wanted to blow up at them, but Instead I glared and ate my fill. We returned for the public funeral. People came to say there sorry to our family. I didn't feel like saying anything, my head flowery smell couldn't mask my speaker who was starting the funeral went up to tell us to funeral director told us if we like to we can come up to give are remembrance of him. Few people went by and I decided to go and say what was on my mind. I started talking about him giving me an Indian head-dress for an exchange for a bouncy ball. Then I ended with the last time I saw him, I remember ending the speech with, "even though he was in pain it, meant the world to me the he tried to spend time with me". Then I remember Claire beginning to cry harder during my speech. When that was all done, people came to congratulate me, but it didn't matter. I just wanted him back, and to have those flower be meant for happiness.
