Losing a Friend
It was a hot summer day. Dad and I were going to the beach for the holiday with my friend Katie. That's when the call came, the call made that beautiful day a cold, dark, gloomy one.
I had put on my suit, shorts and tank top and packed my bag with sunscreen and everything else I would need for the day. I ran into my parent’s room to find Dad. When I saw him on the phone, he was crying. I’d never seen my dad cry before. My heart sank. What possibly could have happened?
“Max, I’m so sorry”, I heard him say. That’s when it hit me, I knew that Susie had died.
Max has been my dad’s best friends for years. Susie, his daughter had a rare disease that mainly affected her body. Her brain and mind was ok. She knew what was going on. She knew she had problems and she was different than other kids. Once she told Dad that she wish she could die and be born in a different body. Yet although she couldn’t live a normal life, she was still happy.
When Susie and I were little babies, we spent quite a bit of time together. As we grew up, we grew apart. She lived in New York and I lived in New Zealand. When Susie was ten she had to live in a hospital in Virginia. About eight months before she died, Max gave us her number at the hospital and we talked at least twice a week until the end.
Susie was always excited to talk to us and wanted to know every detail about my life. She wanted to know everything I did and everything I ate. In a way, she lived through me. After we found about her death, we made our plan to go to New York for the funeral. When she was alive, I had sent her a beanie and she had sent one back to me. I had brought her another one but never had the chance to send it to her. So I took it to put in her casket.
Her funeral was very different than any funeral I’d ever been to. After they lowered her casket, each one of us put a shovelful of dirt over her. I remember crying so hard, I felt weak. My cheeks burned from the tears. My whole body was shaking as I picked up the shovel, but I’m glad I did it.
When Susie and I first started calling one another, I thought it would be more than a burden on me, but I was completely wrong. I learned so much from her. She gave me more than I could ever give her. I will never forget her or the talks we had. I now know that I must never take anything for granted especially my health and the gift of life!
Keshna