"Joe you look better than you did days ago" Steven said truthfully. Joe had gotten some color back in his face and was not limping anymore. Joe smiled weakly at Steven.
"Yeah but I'm going to cry more today" Joe said sadly
"We've all been crying for Melody" Joey said. He put his arm around Rory's shoulders as she started to sob.
"Yeah Brad was bawling like a baby" Steven said pointing at Brad.
"Hey she was a very nice lady. She even asked me to dance with her," Brad said tearing up at the memory of that night.
Joe thought back fondly to that night too, the wedding had been the best time he had ever had. It gave him more of rush standing beside her than any drug had ever given him. He felt so alive so wonderful, it had only been two years ago. Damn he thought he had only had that beautiful human being for two years, which was not enough time.
The church bells interrupted his thoughts. They rang loud and clear across the yard singing to everyone that it was time for them to say their goodbyes. It beckoned them all the come except Joe, he was starting to panic. The bells to him meant saying his last goodbyes to the love of his life, and taking with it his own life. He had promised Melody he would go on, but right now he didn't see how he could keep that promise. Suddenly he felt a warm gentle hand land on his shoulder. He looked over to see that it was Rory. She smiled at him.
"It's okay Joe really, Melody is going to have a special funeral. I can promise you that her old husband would have never given her this kinda treatment, even though he could afford it that slime face cheap wad." She said. He smiled, that was the one good thing that came out of this, Melody was going out in style.
"I know and it's cliché to say but she really would have wanted it this way but I just wonder why it had to happen so early in her life, in our life." He said quietly, he had begun to walk slowly to the doors.
"We're all wondering the same thing." Rory said. She gave him a big hug and then ran up to give her husband a kiss. She then disappeared into the church.
He walked up to the doors to find his band mates waiting for him. Joe looked up to the steeple towering over the church, there were a few birds chirping playful at the top. He watched them fly for a few seconds wishing that he could be them for just this moment in time and then looked back down to his friends. They all gave him a single nod and Steven pulled the door opened. Joe took a deep breathe and walked in with his head held high while his heart was sinking with every step that brought him closer to the truth. The rest of mourners were seated having gotten their chance to see her one last time.
He was three pews away when he stopped. The band, who was in front of him, looked back and Steven saw the look in Joe's face. Joe was scared; Steven couldn't blame him he would be too. Steven went back and gave Joe a little shove. Joe sighed and walked up to the casket.
There she was, there was no denying it. Thought her glow had faded she still looked beautiful, her skin was not as pale as he had expected it to be. The only visible sign that she had been hurt was the small cut on her face. Her hair was still a gorgeous black, washed free from all the blood. Her dress was beautiful; Joe had gone out against his friend's wishes and bought a brand new dress to bury her in. About 10 ten days before she was killed they had been in dress shop, they were looking for one for New Years Eve which was in a month. She has loved this small light purple dress, with lots of crinoline at the bottom. She couldn't buy it that day because she had forgotten her purse at the house and refused to let Joe buy it for her. He looked down at her.
"She is beautiful even in death," Joe said to Steven, tears coming down his face as he touched her check softly. His fingers ran over the cut on her check and he started to cry more. Steven grabbed his hand gently and pulled it away from the casket.
"You were right about the dress." Steven said tears holding back his own tears. He couldn't stand to see his best friend so heartbroken. Joe sighed sadly and looked at Steven and gave a single nod.
"Good-bye forever my sweet Melody" Joe whispered.
Then when everyone was seated the service started. Joe had decided that he would have the visual with the actual funeral, he could not have it prolonged over two days; his heart couldn't take it. He had also decided that he was not going to hire a preacher instead he wanted everyone to tell stories about her. At the end, Joe would give the eulogy.
It was clear that everyone had loved Melody dearly, the stories they told were funny and even made Joe laugh, something he though he wasn't going to do. They told stories of her when she was younger; falling out of the back yard trees, causing utter chaos in the classroom, and of her third grade crush that she thought she was going to marry and have 15 kids and live on the moon. They told of her older years like in college when she got so drunk she went streaking across campus, when she worked in the kitchen and drove her boss crazy and when she and her friends fell asleep in one of the classroom buildings missing the Christmas tree lighting.
Finally the last person finished and the moment Joe had been dreading was here. He wasn't a speaker but he was going to make Melody proud and give the best eulogy he could. When he reached the now closed coffin he put his hand on it and let out a small sigh. All of the puffy red eyes in the crowd were trained on him as he walked to the pulpit. Facing this crowd he took a deep breath and began to speak from his heart.
"Melody Anne Perry was so much more then my wife, she was my soul mate, my best friend. I knew that from the day we met, she was so shy and even forgot her name in a moment of being star struck. She was beautiful inside and out, everything from her loving eyes to her huge heart. She use to tell me that I made her life complete and taught her she could love again. I don't think that is true, she made mine complete. Everyday just to hold her in my arms was like heaven on earth. She was taken from us too early and I would still have her in my arms right now. Melody was a gentle person and for her to have been hurt like that was not right. Baby, if you are listening I tried to protect your heart, but I should have tried harder to protect everything. I am sorry and know that I love you." He finished tears coming down his face. The crowd clapped for him and he went down to help the pallbearers carry her out of the church and to the hearse. Her coffin was a beautiful white, trimmed in purple, purple tulips were painted on the side. Melody would have like it, the dress she wore matched her coffin. Joe was glad; she could never leave the house without matching.
They laid her to rest with Steven singing her favorite song, "Fly Away from Here" and everyone then parted ways with silent goodbyes. In the end all that was left were Joe, Steven, and Teresa. Steven was going to take Joe home. Joe said that he needed a few more minutes. Joe sat there in his metal out door chair and stared for what seemed like hours. He just stared at where his love had just been laid never to rise again.
A couple of weeks after the funeral Aerosmith were back in the studio. Joe's legs had healed and he was raring to get to work. He had to get his mind off of her death. The other members were concerned for Joe's mental health.
"You know Joe you don't have to be here. We could do this week's from now if you want." Steven said hopefully.
"It's ok Steven" Joe said picking up his guitar "Melody would want it this way"
"Yeah, you're totally right" Steven said looking crestfallen.
"Here I wrote this song in the hospital. Can we record it?" Joe asked handing Steven the piece of paper. Steven looked over for a few moments.
"Yeah sure Joe. Do…do you want to sing it?" Steven finally asked sympathetically.
"Thanks Steven I'd love to." Joe said smiling wearily.
A few years later a new album was released. The cd was full of tender riffs and sweet solo's. No song was more heartfelt then "My Sweet Melody", Joe's dark sultry voice making every word penetrate the soul of the listener. It brought Aerosmith fans the world over to tears.
One day Joe was sitting alone in the studio. He was just strumming his guitar absentmindedly, thinking about everything he had been through. How could God possibly be so cruel? Was it because of what he had done in his past? If so why punish Melody? He hadn't even known her way back when. She was a beautiful soul who didn't deserve to go out like that. He kept strumming his guitar as the tears started to come.
He cried for a while, just as he had finished Joey came through the door. He gave one look to Joe's red eyes and sighed.
"Joe, Rory and I are coming with you. We can't let you go out there alone" Joey said. He expected Joe to protest but Joe put his guitar down, got up slowly and walked over to Joey. He put his hand on Joey's shoulder and gave a single nod. He then walked out of the room without a word. Joey followed him just as silently to his car.
They drove for ten minutes before they reached Boston Cemetery. It was cold and rainy. Joe broke down as soon as he saw the marble head stone with purple letters. Rory and Joey knew what day it was and that is why they decided to come. They knew that Joe would not want to be here alone. This day happened to be Joe and Melody's four year wedding anniversary. They calmed Joe down within an hour. After he was calmed down he laid down on the grass and started stroking it. He then whispered into the ground, "Don't worry honey I'm working on it."
Later Joe was leaving Rory and Joey's house. They had taken him to dinner and comforted him as he cried when Rory was telling him about how Melody was when she was little. Joe laughed and cried…it was nice hear stories that Melody had once told him again.