I struggled to breathe as I looked into the crystal, dark -brown eyes of my daughter Lynn as she held my hand. She looked just like her mother Christina who passed away in her sleep last spring. I remember the first time Christina kissed, it was just 8 years after it happened. I cringed at the thought of losing Tris those many years ago. Wedding day was the happiest days of my life, I never thought I could ever be mended after what happened to Tris. The wedding was the first time in my life I saw my mother Evelyn cry tears of joy.
On Lynn's lap her five year old son Caleb with his messy dark-brown eyes sat hugging his mother. Next to her stood her husband Thomas, who held a 3 month old red haired baby girl who was fast asleep, she was the same age as my other daughter Natalie when my mother passed away many years ago.
My son in law Oscar comforted Natalie as she wept on his shoulder, realizing that I would never see the birth of her twin's sons who were due in just a month. I smile at the memory of when my daughters were born, it was another one of best moments of my life. Christina complained the whole time when she carried Lynn and she wasn't much better when it was Natalie, but it was worth it in the end. The whole time I kept telling Christina to be brave.
"Dad, don't leave me yet, please don't leave me!" Natalie wept. Natalie was always the sensitive one of my two daughters she would have made a great candor. Lynn on the other hand was different she was always brave one out of the two, it was hardly a surprise that she joint the police force when she was old enough a dauntless job, while Natalie is a lawyer.
"Be brave, Natalie. We will get through this together you'll see" Oscar said. My vision started to get blurry around the edges and it got harder to breathe as the minutes went by. I wonder if this is how Tris felt when she sacrificed herself for Caleb, it took Caleb ages to forgive himself for that, if it hadn't been for Cara I'm not sure if he would have still been here today.
Life is full of ups and downs and we must enjoy the good times and be brave during the tough times. I used to think that we could never be mended, but I was wrong. We can be mended. We mend each other. We just need to be brave in the tough times, this is what I believe got Christina, Caleb and I through what happened over 50 years ago. I still missed Tris, but I would see her soon when it became my time to leave this earth.
"Be Brave" I struggled to say. Then I closed my eyes and let out a final breath. The last things I remember hearing was the sobs of my family.
When I opened my eyes again I was on top of the same fairest wheel Tris and I climbed up during capture the flag many years ago. That was when I saw her. Tris. She was wearing the same abnegation clothes she wore when she left abnegation, but her hair is down and it is the same length it was before she cut it. There is no evidence of her bullet wounds and or the tired look she wore during her final days.
"Tobias, you were so brave. I am glad that you carried on without me. Thank you for looking after the friends I left behind." She said with a gentle smile on her face.
"I am sorry I let you die Tris, I should have stayed back and protected you" I said
"Don't apologize, Tobias. We have to go, Christina is dying to see you and I imagine your mother would be too." She said with a smile on her face as she took my hand and we then ascended to heaven where we would live the rest of our lives in happiness.