A Sharp Knife
Daryl sat on the last bench in the courtroom as he listened to the lawyers arguing their cases.
Merle was on trial but this time it was for something bigger than he'd ever done before.
Daryl leaned forward in his seat and put his head in his hands as his eyes closed and tears fell into the palms of his hands as he thought of Beth.
The first time he met her, his truck had overheated and he had no way to get back to town and, after numerous calls to Merle, his cell phone was dead.
She pulled over and offered him a ride.
He thought she was crazy for picking up a complete stranger but after he introduced himself and she did the same, he accepted her offer.
The next time he saw her was two weeks later when she pulled up next to him at the gas pumps.
She smiled and was as friendly to him as she had been the first time they met. It shocked him that she remembered his name. Though he hadn't forgotten hers and probably never would.
They had a few moments over the next few months where they would see each other at the store or some other places around town. She always smiled at him and called him by name.
He hardly spoke to her but he was never rude.
After all these months, he promised himself that the next time he saw her, he would actually speak to her.
Once again, they found themselves at a gas station.
Daryl's tank was leanin' on empty but he only had a little cash. He would be lucky if it would be enough to get him home.
As he was leanin' against his truck and thinkin' about all of the shit he had to pay. He never payedn attention to how much he'd put in his truck, he just went inside to pay.
He pulled out a 20 and handed it to clerk before he realized he was 40 dollars short.
"Here, this should cover it," a familiar voice said from behind him.
Beth had smiled at him again that day.
He thanked her and waited by his truck for her to come out of the store.
"If ya meet me 'ere next Friday, I'll pay ya back," he told her.
"I don't want your money, Daryl," she sounded so sweet when she spoke.
Daryl shifted nervously. He didn't like the idea of not repaying her and she must have known that.
"If you really want to pay me back, how 'bout you buy me lunch?"
He nodded and she smiled at him again.
"Meet me at the diner across the street next Friday," she said while holdin' out her hand.
When that Friday rolled around, Daryl was more nervous than he had ever been.
He had to keep telling himself it wasn't a date, he was simply repaying her for her kindness.
Daryl raised his head when he heard the judge call for a recess. They'd reconvene at 8 the next morning.
He was on autopilot as he walked out of the courthouse and to his truck.
Before he knew it, he was pullin' into the parking lot of the diner.
He went inside, took their usual booth and he placed two orders. His usual and hers.
He took one bite before he threw down his fork. He couldn't help but cry as he listened to the song that was playing on the radio in the diner.
"If I die young, bury me in satin Lay me down on a bed of roses Sink me in a river at dawn Send me away with the words of a love song
Uh oh, uh oh
Lord make me a rainbow, I'll shine down on my mother She'll know I'm safe with you when she stands under my colors, oh, And life ain't always what you think it ought to be, no Ain't even grey, but she buries her baby
The sharp knife of a short life, oh well I've had just enough time
If I die young, bury me in satin Lay me down on a bed of roses Sink me in the river at dawn Send me away with the words of a love song
The sharp knife of a short life, oh well I've had just enough time
And I'll be wearing white, when I come into your kingdom I'm as green as the ring on my little cold finger, I've never known the lovin' of a man But it sure felt nice when he was holdin' my hand, There's a boy here in town, says he'll love me forever, Who would have thought forever could be severed by..."
The song faded into nothin' more than background noise as he remembered the first time he heard it.
"What kinda song is that?" He had asked Beth.
"It's beautiful," she said.
He didn't argue with her. Even though he found the song to be depressing, he had to admit that it sounded beautiful when she was singin' it.
He stayed, frozen in place, until the diner was closing for the night.
The next morning, Daryl was one of the first people at the courthouse.
He wasn't sure why he was even here except for the fact that Merle was blood and you're not supposed to turn your back on blood.
But hadn't Merle done that before? Every time he left Daryl with their dad?
He hated his brother for what he did. This time it wasn't something Daryl could forgive him for and by the looks of the courtroom being filled with cryin' people and local TV cameras, no one else would be forgiving Merle.
Daryl was barely listening to everything that was bein' said and when the judge called recess for lunch, Daryl hurried out.
He went back to the diner. Sat in their booth and ordered their usuals.
He had been doin' this everyday for months now.
The kindness she had showed him had been repaid with that first lunch but that didn't stop them from meeting at that diner every chance they got.
They usually stayed as long as they could, sometimes until closing and then they'd go for a drive.
She showed him how much he was worth, what kind of man he could be and that he was loved.
Daryl never made it back to the courthouse that day.
He stayed at the diner and looked through the pictures on his phone.
A few days later, after a long deliberation, the jury finally came back.
Daryl sat there quietly as the verdict was read.
"Guilty."
Guilty was the only word Daryl heard.
His head started spinning and he felt nauseous.
Rushing out of the courtroom, he barely made it to his truck before he broke down.
His brother had taken something special from him all because of the color of someone's skin and now he would spend the rest of his life paying for that.
Daryl sat there in his truck in front of the courthouse and cried for a while before he finally left.
He knew where he was goin' but he had to make a stop first.
It wasn't somewhere you'd expect to see Daryl Dixon but in that moment, he didn't care about anyone but her.
The looks on everyone's faces when they saw him buying a bouquet of daisies wasn't lost on him but he wasn't embarrassed. So what if they didn't understand him?
He just wanted to see her smile again.
Sometimes he still couldn't believe what had happened. Especially at a time like this.
He walked through the rows without ever looking up from his feet. He knew this path by heart and at times, he felt he really had walked it in his sleep.
"Hi, Beth," he whispered as he placed the daisies down beside her, "they said Merle was guilty for what he did. He got life, Beth. He'll never hurt anyone else."
Daryl sat down and closed his eyes. He could see her smiling at him, laughing at his stupid jokes or the way he acted when she held his hand. He smiled to himself at the memories.
"I'm sorry he hurt you, Beth. All you ever did was try to help someone. That's who you were and if it wasn't for you, I don't know where I'd be," he told her.
He stood up and walked closer.
He ran his fingers over her name, just like he always did.
Elizabeth Annette Greene
Beloved Daughter, Sister and Friend
Those words would forever be burned into his memory along with the words he never had a chance to tell her. He made it a point to say them every time he was here and every time he thought of her, as if she could actually hear him.
He leaned down and kissed her headstone. And before he walked away, he whispered to her...
"I love you, Beth."