Chapter 35: We'll Grieve Together
~Sam's POV~
When Jeff got on one knee, I was totally surprised. I had no idea that he had planned this. I was still in shock when he had asked. I knew that I had to answer when he looked down; I knew that he was the one for me. He had my left hand in his right and with my right hand; I cupped it under Jeff's chin and made him look at me, softly, I said, "Yes."
"You." he said as he looked at me. Then he looked at Paul and Mark, "She." Now he was looking at me and said softly, "Yes?"
I nodded my head, "Yeah, I said yes."
He smiled real big and grabbed me and spinned me around the room, "Yes!!!!"
I squealed, "Jeff, put me down!!!" When he did, he kissed me so softly and with so much love. "Now, that we're all calm. where's my ring?" I said as I smiled at Jeff.
He smiled at me and got the ring out of the box that he dropped on the floor. He put it on my left ring finger and said, "If you want to wait for a year, that's fine with me. I don't care. as long as you promise me that you'll end up my wife."
I looked at the ring and said, "I promise you that we'll end up as husband and wife. I just don't know when."
"That's all I care about," he said as he kissed me and then hugged me. He twirled me around once more.
Once we pulled away from each other, I looked at Mark and Paul who were sitting there with the biggest smiles on their faces. "So what do both of you think?"
"You deserve it, darlin', both of you," Mark said as he got up and shook Jeff's hand and he leaned down and gave me a hug. I put my arms around his neck and he lifted me up like a rag doll. He tickled me and I squealed; we laughed together.
"Thank you, Mark. I'm so glad that you're here to celebrate this moment with me," I said.
"Me too, darlin', but I think that there's three other people that loves you as much as I do that want to celebrate it with you. But only two of them are here, " Mark said and I smiled knowingly.
He let me go and I looked at Paul who was standing there talking with Jeff. I decided to go talk to Adam first. I looked outside and saw him standing there talking to Matt with Shane. I decided to go out there, regardless of what had happened with Matt. When I got outside, they all had become quiet. "Hey guys, I'm sorry to bother you, but there's a big announcement that I want to share with all of you."
"What is it, Sami?" Adam asked.
I showed them my hand, "Jeff asked me to marry him and I said yes."
Matt, Adam and Shane looked at my hand and Shane said, "That's great news!!!" He gave me a hug and whirled me around. "I'm so excited for both you and Jeff!!! I didn't know that he was going to ask you."
"I did, but I thought he was going to ask you tonight at the party. But that doesn't matter; I'm just thrilled that he did ask you. I'm so happy for you Sami!!" Adam said as he hugged me tight. When I was in his arms, I started to cry, wishing that dad were here. "Hey, come on now, Sami. I know that you wish that dad was here, but it'll be okay. I promise you that," he said as he stroked my back.
"I know, I can't help but wish he was," I said as I cried some more. Adam continued to hold me and stroke my back.
~Adam's POV~
I looked at Shane and mouthed to him that I'm taking her inside. He nodded and waited until we were out of earshot to continue talking to Matt. I carried her inside the house and went straight upstairs to her bedroom. I was sure that Mark, Paul and Jeff were wondering what had happened. I went inside her bedroom and closed her door. I sat on the bed and pulled her with me to the middle of the bed. I sang 'I Don't Want To Miss A Thing' to her. It had the most profound effect on her since it was the song between her and dad. After I finished the song, she had stopped crying, but she was sniffling a bit. "Adam, thank you for singing that."
"You're welcome. Do Mark and Paul know that Jeff proposed to you?"
"Yeah, they were there when he asked," she said; I could sense that she was smiling.
"Did you talk to Paul yet?"
"No," she said.
I smiled. "What do you think Paul would say?"
"I don't know," she said starting to rustle a bit. She always rustles a bit every time Paul, Jeff and I knew something that had happened to her. yet haven't talk to her.
"Wanna go downstairs and see what Paul has to say?"
"I don't know." she trailed off.
"I think we should." I said in a singsong voice.
"No!!"she almost shouted, but covered her mouth and burrowed herself into my embrace.
I laughed and said, "If you don't go there by yourself, I'm forced to carry you."
"I'll go. I'll go," she said as she got up and headed for the door. When she opened the door, she gasped because there was Paul who was smiling. "Did you hear what we said?" she asked shyly.
He nodded, "Every word."
"Am I in twouble?" she asked in a childlike voice.
We laughed. "No, you're not!!" he said as he picked her up and hugged her.
~Paul's POV~
As soon as I picked her up, I tickled her and heard her squeal. I laughed and said, "Babydoll, why were you crying?"
"I just wish that daddy was here," she said, burrowing her head into my shoulder and neck. She hugged me more tightly. I held onto her and let her cry. "Adam, let me talk with her for awhile."
"Ok, I'll go back downstairs and finish talking with Matt," he said as he left. I just sat there holding her and stroking her back.
~Adam's POV~
I went back downstairs and out the door. I cursed out loud as soon as I closed the door. "Adam, what's the matter?" Shane asked.
"Do you have any freaking idea how much it hurts me to see my baby sister crying all the time like that?" I said; my anger was starting to show.
"Hey, man, what can I do to help you or Samantha? You know that I don't like seeing either one of you like this?" Shane asked.
"I have no idea. Right now, I would love to beat the crap out of her birth father if he wasn't dead," I said as I rolled my hands into fists.
"Don't we all? But he's dead, Adam," Shane said as he tried to calm me down.
"You don't think I freaking know that!! It's because of him that we both lost our father. Ever since my dad became her father. he has taken care of her. just like I did. and now that he's gone. we're both been holding in so much pain. Now that Sami's getting married, who's going to walk her down the aisle?" I asked. "It's probably going to be Paul, but d***, I could tell in an instant that she wants our father to walk her down the aisle and give her away. It's just freaking too much pain for me to see my sister hurt like that. I would give anything for my sister to be happy for once," I said as tears came down my face. I swatted them away like flies.
Shane had come up to me and gave me a hug, "It's ok, man. It's all right to cry sometimes. You don't have to be strong all the time. You and Samantha can mourn together. just talk with her."
~Sam's POV~
I came downstairs to talk with Adam; I went outside once Mark and Jeff told me he was outside. I opened the front door and heard him talking to Shane. I heard half of the conversation and never realized how much he was still hurting over our father's death. After I heard what Shane said, I opened the door fully and went outside, "Adam, why didn't you tell me?" I said; fresh tears were in my eyes.
"I didn't want to bother you with this, Sami," Adam said as he pulled away from Shane.
"It's like Shane said. we can go through this together. we'll grieve together," I said as I went up to Adam and hugged him. We held onto each other, crying.
~Paul's POV~
When I came downstairs with Samantha, I made eye contact with Mark and Jeff and motioned them over to the door. When Samantha went over to Adam and started talking, I led them outside so that we could talk together. We could all hear Adam and Samantha crying but what startled me the most was that Samantha had started singing.
"For all those times you stood by me
For all the truth that you made me see
For all the joy you brought to my life
For all the wrong that you made right
For every dream you made true
For all the love I've found in you
I'd be forever thankful, daddy
You're the one who held me up
Never let me fall
You're the one who saw me through it all
You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn't speak
You were my eyes when I couldn't see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn't reach
You gave me faith 'cuz you believed
I'm everything I am because you loved me
You gave me wings and made my fly
You touched my hand
I could touch the sky
I lost my faith
You gave it back to me
You said no star was out of reach
You stood by me and I stood tall
I had your love
I had it all
I'm grateful for each day you gave me
Maybe I don't know that much
But I know this much is true
I was blessed because I was loved by you
You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn't speak
You were my eyes when I couldn't see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn't reach
You gave me faith 'cuz you believed
I'm everything I am because you loved me
You were always there for me
The tender wind that carried me
A light in the dark shining your love into my life
You're been my inspiration
Through all the lies you were the truth
My world is a better place because of you
You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn't speak
You were my eyes when I couldn't see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn't reach
You gave me faith 'cuz you believed
I'm everything I am because you loved me."
After she finished the song, they were still in each other's arms. "I want daddy," she said simply. That one simple statement had touched us all and made us realize that we need to cherish our loved ones.
"I want dad, too, Sami," Adam said.
The next thing we know was a car pulling into the driveway. I looked at the car and saw Helen there. I walked over to her car and opened the car door. "What's going on?" she asked as she saw Adam and Samantha holding each other as they cried.
"They're still grieving over the loss of Michael," I explained.
She looked at me and said, "My god." After that she walked over to them and hugged them. She must have said something to made Samantha cry more hard.
"I want daddy!!!!" She nearly screamed as she cried. She kept saying that and getting louder each time. I ran over to them, grabbing Samantha and not letting her go. Helen and Adam continued to hold each other. Mark, Shane, and Jeff did their best to comfort Adam and Helen. I held onto Samantha and took her to her bedroom and let her cry.
~Mark's POV~
As soon as Paul had taken Samantha into the house, I looked over at Matt. He still looked pissed at Samantha; that alone pissed me off. I ran over to him and pinned him against the car and in a deadly voice, I said, "What the hell is the matter with you boy?!! Where the hell is your heart?!! Can't you once forget about your problem and comfort Samantha and Adam? For once, don't be so d*** selfish and give especially on her graduation day. She needs this more than ever and you're so f***ing blind!!! If you're not in that house in 10 minutes, I suggest you go on back with the Federation. If you don't, I will take you there myself." I let go of him immediately and stalked him with my eyes as I walked backwards into the house; he had the look of fear on his face. Once I got into the house, I heard Samantha screaming and struggling against Paul.
The next thing, I heard was Paul yelling, "Mark!!! Get your a** in here now!!! I need your help!!!" I ran up there as fast as I could; the other guys were hot on my heels. I opened the door and found Paul lying on his side, grabbing his legs and Samantha sitting on the floor, wailing. Helen had immediately went to Samantha and tried her best to comfort her as Shane and Jeff went to help Paul. Helen was having no luck with Samantha and she looked at me for help. I immediately picked her up and went downstairs; I grabbed the keys from the side table by the front door and walked outside to the rental car. I opened the door and put her inside. I locked the door and went to the driver's side.
I called to everyone, "I'll be back as soon as I can." I drove to the cemetery. Adam had shown it to me on the way to their house. As soon as I got there, I picked her up and hoisted her on my shoulder when she tried to run away from me. I went straight to her father's grave and when we did, I planted her butt right near the tombstone. I sat behind her and grabbed her face and made her look. "Darlin', I want you to look at the tombstone. take a good look at it. What does it say?" her father had saved some money and had a very special tombstone made.
It had a picture of himself, Helen, Adam and Samantha, which was taken after they had won the custody battle. Right below it had an inscription that she read slowly, "To Adam and Samantha, I will always be there for you."
"That's right. that's his promise to you. He's alive, darlin', and he's living in you and Adam. He's guarding you and he wants you to be happy. Do you think that he wants you to cry over his death?" She shook her head no. "You do know that he loves you right?" She nodded slowly. "Darlin', you've got to learn to move on. It's not going to be easy. no one ever said that it will be easy, but it will get better. And I'm not saying that you should forget your father. You will never forget your father, but give yourself time and you'll see that it'll get easier. You have me, Paul, Jeff, Shane, Adam, your mom and all the other Superstars to help you, ok?"
"Ok," her voice was hoarse from all the crying and screaming that she did. "Thank you, Mark," she said softly.
"It's nothing. You know that I will always be here for you, right?"
"Yeah," she said as she leaned into my embrace. "Could we stay here for a few minutes before going home?"
"Yeah, just for a few minutes," I said as I pushed her hair back from her face. I let her sit there and soak in my strength. Then suddenly, she leaned over to the tombstone and kissed it and said, "I love you daddy." She looked at me and said, "Ok, I'm ready to go home now."
"Ok, let's go home and get you ready for your graduation," I said as I got up and helped her up and went home. We got there about 20 minutes later and everyone was outside, it seemed to me that they were looking for Matt. I smiled and realized what had happened. We got out of the car and I said, "What's everyone looking for?"
"It's not a what, it's a who." Jeff said. "Do you know where Matt went?"
"I have an idea," I said as I led Samantha into the house. She immediately went upstairs to get ready for the graduation since she only had an hour to get ready before leaving. I went into the living room and sat down on the couch. Everyone had come in the house and waited for me to say something. "What?"
"What happened to Matt?" Adam said.
"Let's just say that I made a deal with Matt. if he didn't clean up his act before Samantha's graduation."
They waited for me, but I didn't say anything. "Mark, what kind of deal?" Paul asked. He probably knew what I did.
"I just told him that if he didn't changed his attitude then leave. If he wasn't willing, then." I trailed off.
"Then what?" Helen said.
"I would personally see to it that he leaves before upsetting Samantha even more."
"He actually listened." Adam said; he was truly surprised.
"What do you mean?" Paul asked.
"Shane and I threatened him, but it didn't work. And it worked with Mark." he trailed off, as he and Shane exchanged looks.
"No one messes with the Dead man," I said and everyone laughed.
~ Author's Note: Celine Dion's song, 'Because You Loved Me.' Used without permission. Don't own, don't sue!! ~
~Sam's POV~
When Jeff got on one knee, I was totally surprised. I had no idea that he had planned this. I was still in shock when he had asked. I knew that I had to answer when he looked down; I knew that he was the one for me. He had my left hand in his right and with my right hand; I cupped it under Jeff's chin and made him look at me, softly, I said, "Yes."
"You." he said as he looked at me. Then he looked at Paul and Mark, "She." Now he was looking at me and said softly, "Yes?"
I nodded my head, "Yeah, I said yes."
He smiled real big and grabbed me and spinned me around the room, "Yes!!!!"
I squealed, "Jeff, put me down!!!" When he did, he kissed me so softly and with so much love. "Now, that we're all calm. where's my ring?" I said as I smiled at Jeff.
He smiled at me and got the ring out of the box that he dropped on the floor. He put it on my left ring finger and said, "If you want to wait for a year, that's fine with me. I don't care. as long as you promise me that you'll end up my wife."
I looked at the ring and said, "I promise you that we'll end up as husband and wife. I just don't know when."
"That's all I care about," he said as he kissed me and then hugged me. He twirled me around once more.
Once we pulled away from each other, I looked at Mark and Paul who were sitting there with the biggest smiles on their faces. "So what do both of you think?"
"You deserve it, darlin', both of you," Mark said as he got up and shook Jeff's hand and he leaned down and gave me a hug. I put my arms around his neck and he lifted me up like a rag doll. He tickled me and I squealed; we laughed together.
"Thank you, Mark. I'm so glad that you're here to celebrate this moment with me," I said.
"Me too, darlin', but I think that there's three other people that loves you as much as I do that want to celebrate it with you. But only two of them are here, " Mark said and I smiled knowingly.
He let me go and I looked at Paul who was standing there talking with Jeff. I decided to go talk to Adam first. I looked outside and saw him standing there talking to Matt with Shane. I decided to go out there, regardless of what had happened with Matt. When I got outside, they all had become quiet. "Hey guys, I'm sorry to bother you, but there's a big announcement that I want to share with all of you."
"What is it, Sami?" Adam asked.
I showed them my hand, "Jeff asked me to marry him and I said yes."
Matt, Adam and Shane looked at my hand and Shane said, "That's great news!!!" He gave me a hug and whirled me around. "I'm so excited for both you and Jeff!!! I didn't know that he was going to ask you."
"I did, but I thought he was going to ask you tonight at the party. But that doesn't matter; I'm just thrilled that he did ask you. I'm so happy for you Sami!!" Adam said as he hugged me tight. When I was in his arms, I started to cry, wishing that dad were here. "Hey, come on now, Sami. I know that you wish that dad was here, but it'll be okay. I promise you that," he said as he stroked my back.
"I know, I can't help but wish he was," I said as I cried some more. Adam continued to hold me and stroke my back.
~Adam's POV~
I looked at Shane and mouthed to him that I'm taking her inside. He nodded and waited until we were out of earshot to continue talking to Matt. I carried her inside the house and went straight upstairs to her bedroom. I was sure that Mark, Paul and Jeff were wondering what had happened. I went inside her bedroom and closed her door. I sat on the bed and pulled her with me to the middle of the bed. I sang 'I Don't Want To Miss A Thing' to her. It had the most profound effect on her since it was the song between her and dad. After I finished the song, she had stopped crying, but she was sniffling a bit. "Adam, thank you for singing that."
"You're welcome. Do Mark and Paul know that Jeff proposed to you?"
"Yeah, they were there when he asked," she said; I could sense that she was smiling.
"Did you talk to Paul yet?"
"No," she said.
I smiled. "What do you think Paul would say?"
"I don't know," she said starting to rustle a bit. She always rustles a bit every time Paul, Jeff and I knew something that had happened to her. yet haven't talk to her.
"Wanna go downstairs and see what Paul has to say?"
"I don't know." she trailed off.
"I think we should." I said in a singsong voice.
"No!!"she almost shouted, but covered her mouth and burrowed herself into my embrace.
I laughed and said, "If you don't go there by yourself, I'm forced to carry you."
"I'll go. I'll go," she said as she got up and headed for the door. When she opened the door, she gasped because there was Paul who was smiling. "Did you hear what we said?" she asked shyly.
He nodded, "Every word."
"Am I in twouble?" she asked in a childlike voice.
We laughed. "No, you're not!!" he said as he picked her up and hugged her.
~Paul's POV~
As soon as I picked her up, I tickled her and heard her squeal. I laughed and said, "Babydoll, why were you crying?"
"I just wish that daddy was here," she said, burrowing her head into my shoulder and neck. She hugged me more tightly. I held onto her and let her cry. "Adam, let me talk with her for awhile."
"Ok, I'll go back downstairs and finish talking with Matt," he said as he left. I just sat there holding her and stroking her back.
~Adam's POV~
I went back downstairs and out the door. I cursed out loud as soon as I closed the door. "Adam, what's the matter?" Shane asked.
"Do you have any freaking idea how much it hurts me to see my baby sister crying all the time like that?" I said; my anger was starting to show.
"Hey, man, what can I do to help you or Samantha? You know that I don't like seeing either one of you like this?" Shane asked.
"I have no idea. Right now, I would love to beat the crap out of her birth father if he wasn't dead," I said as I rolled my hands into fists.
"Don't we all? But he's dead, Adam," Shane said as he tried to calm me down.
"You don't think I freaking know that!! It's because of him that we both lost our father. Ever since my dad became her father. he has taken care of her. just like I did. and now that he's gone. we're both been holding in so much pain. Now that Sami's getting married, who's going to walk her down the aisle?" I asked. "It's probably going to be Paul, but d***, I could tell in an instant that she wants our father to walk her down the aisle and give her away. It's just freaking too much pain for me to see my sister hurt like that. I would give anything for my sister to be happy for once," I said as tears came down my face. I swatted them away like flies.
Shane had come up to me and gave me a hug, "It's ok, man. It's all right to cry sometimes. You don't have to be strong all the time. You and Samantha can mourn together. just talk with her."
~Sam's POV~
I came downstairs to talk with Adam; I went outside once Mark and Jeff told me he was outside. I opened the front door and heard him talking to Shane. I heard half of the conversation and never realized how much he was still hurting over our father's death. After I heard what Shane said, I opened the door fully and went outside, "Adam, why didn't you tell me?" I said; fresh tears were in my eyes.
"I didn't want to bother you with this, Sami," Adam said as he pulled away from Shane.
"It's like Shane said. we can go through this together. we'll grieve together," I said as I went up to Adam and hugged him. We held onto each other, crying.
~Paul's POV~
When I came downstairs with Samantha, I made eye contact with Mark and Jeff and motioned them over to the door. When Samantha went over to Adam and started talking, I led them outside so that we could talk together. We could all hear Adam and Samantha crying but what startled me the most was that Samantha had started singing.
"For all those times you stood by me
For all the truth that you made me see
For all the joy you brought to my life
For all the wrong that you made right
For every dream you made true
For all the love I've found in you
I'd be forever thankful, daddy
You're the one who held me up
Never let me fall
You're the one who saw me through it all
You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn't speak
You were my eyes when I couldn't see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn't reach
You gave me faith 'cuz you believed
I'm everything I am because you loved me
You gave me wings and made my fly
You touched my hand
I could touch the sky
I lost my faith
You gave it back to me
You said no star was out of reach
You stood by me and I stood tall
I had your love
I had it all
I'm grateful for each day you gave me
Maybe I don't know that much
But I know this much is true
I was blessed because I was loved by you
You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn't speak
You were my eyes when I couldn't see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn't reach
You gave me faith 'cuz you believed
I'm everything I am because you loved me
You were always there for me
The tender wind that carried me
A light in the dark shining your love into my life
You're been my inspiration
Through all the lies you were the truth
My world is a better place because of you
You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn't speak
You were my eyes when I couldn't see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn't reach
You gave me faith 'cuz you believed
I'm everything I am because you loved me."
After she finished the song, they were still in each other's arms. "I want daddy," she said simply. That one simple statement had touched us all and made us realize that we need to cherish our loved ones.
"I want dad, too, Sami," Adam said.
The next thing we know was a car pulling into the driveway. I looked at the car and saw Helen there. I walked over to her car and opened the car door. "What's going on?" she asked as she saw Adam and Samantha holding each other as they cried.
"They're still grieving over the loss of Michael," I explained.
She looked at me and said, "My god." After that she walked over to them and hugged them. She must have said something to made Samantha cry more hard.
"I want daddy!!!!" She nearly screamed as she cried. She kept saying that and getting louder each time. I ran over to them, grabbing Samantha and not letting her go. Helen and Adam continued to hold each other. Mark, Shane, and Jeff did their best to comfort Adam and Helen. I held onto Samantha and took her to her bedroom and let her cry.
~Mark's POV~
As soon as Paul had taken Samantha into the house, I looked over at Matt. He still looked pissed at Samantha; that alone pissed me off. I ran over to him and pinned him against the car and in a deadly voice, I said, "What the hell is the matter with you boy?!! Where the hell is your heart?!! Can't you once forget about your problem and comfort Samantha and Adam? For once, don't be so d*** selfish and give especially on her graduation day. She needs this more than ever and you're so f***ing blind!!! If you're not in that house in 10 minutes, I suggest you go on back with the Federation. If you don't, I will take you there myself." I let go of him immediately and stalked him with my eyes as I walked backwards into the house; he had the look of fear on his face. Once I got into the house, I heard Samantha screaming and struggling against Paul.
The next thing, I heard was Paul yelling, "Mark!!! Get your a** in here now!!! I need your help!!!" I ran up there as fast as I could; the other guys were hot on my heels. I opened the door and found Paul lying on his side, grabbing his legs and Samantha sitting on the floor, wailing. Helen had immediately went to Samantha and tried her best to comfort her as Shane and Jeff went to help Paul. Helen was having no luck with Samantha and she looked at me for help. I immediately picked her up and went downstairs; I grabbed the keys from the side table by the front door and walked outside to the rental car. I opened the door and put her inside. I locked the door and went to the driver's side.
I called to everyone, "I'll be back as soon as I can." I drove to the cemetery. Adam had shown it to me on the way to their house. As soon as I got there, I picked her up and hoisted her on my shoulder when she tried to run away from me. I went straight to her father's grave and when we did, I planted her butt right near the tombstone. I sat behind her and grabbed her face and made her look. "Darlin', I want you to look at the tombstone. take a good look at it. What does it say?" her father had saved some money and had a very special tombstone made.
It had a picture of himself, Helen, Adam and Samantha, which was taken after they had won the custody battle. Right below it had an inscription that she read slowly, "To Adam and Samantha, I will always be there for you."
"That's right. that's his promise to you. He's alive, darlin', and he's living in you and Adam. He's guarding you and he wants you to be happy. Do you think that he wants you to cry over his death?" She shook her head no. "You do know that he loves you right?" She nodded slowly. "Darlin', you've got to learn to move on. It's not going to be easy. no one ever said that it will be easy, but it will get better. And I'm not saying that you should forget your father. You will never forget your father, but give yourself time and you'll see that it'll get easier. You have me, Paul, Jeff, Shane, Adam, your mom and all the other Superstars to help you, ok?"
"Ok," her voice was hoarse from all the crying and screaming that she did. "Thank you, Mark," she said softly.
"It's nothing. You know that I will always be here for you, right?"
"Yeah," she said as she leaned into my embrace. "Could we stay here for a few minutes before going home?"
"Yeah, just for a few minutes," I said as I pushed her hair back from her face. I let her sit there and soak in my strength. Then suddenly, she leaned over to the tombstone and kissed it and said, "I love you daddy." She looked at me and said, "Ok, I'm ready to go home now."
"Ok, let's go home and get you ready for your graduation," I said as I got up and helped her up and went home. We got there about 20 minutes later and everyone was outside, it seemed to me that they were looking for Matt. I smiled and realized what had happened. We got out of the car and I said, "What's everyone looking for?"
"It's not a what, it's a who." Jeff said. "Do you know where Matt went?"
"I have an idea," I said as I led Samantha into the house. She immediately went upstairs to get ready for the graduation since she only had an hour to get ready before leaving. I went into the living room and sat down on the couch. Everyone had come in the house and waited for me to say something. "What?"
"What happened to Matt?" Adam said.
"Let's just say that I made a deal with Matt. if he didn't clean up his act before Samantha's graduation."
They waited for me, but I didn't say anything. "Mark, what kind of deal?" Paul asked. He probably knew what I did.
"I just told him that if he didn't changed his attitude then leave. If he wasn't willing, then." I trailed off.
"Then what?" Helen said.
"I would personally see to it that he leaves before upsetting Samantha even more."
"He actually listened." Adam said; he was truly surprised.
"What do you mean?" Paul asked.
"Shane and I threatened him, but it didn't work. And it worked with Mark." he trailed off, as he and Shane exchanged looks.
"No one messes with the Dead man," I said and everyone laughed.
~ Author's Note: Celine Dion's song, 'Because You Loved Me.' Used without permission. Don't own, don't sue!! ~
