"Zoey? It's Bridget, George's mother." Something in her voice woke me up in a shock.
"Yes, has anything happened?" I asked as she broke down in tears. "Bridget, what happened?"
She sobbed, her voice chocked. I felt as if something was strangling my heart. George.
"Bridget, what happened? Tell me please." I begged.
"He had an accident." She said finally. "He died."
No. No. George could not be dead. It couldn't be. It was a lie. It was a nightmare, I'd wake up in the morning and he would still be alive. He would send me a picture from beach in Hawai'i, smiling, tanned. Bridget's voice brought me back to reality.
"Zoey, I had to tell you. You were together for a long time. And you were still friends. I need you to talk to the others. I can't do it." She broke down again.
"Bridget, it's okay. I'll take care of it."
"Thank you. I'll call you tomorrow to let you know the funeral arrangements." At that moment I just wanted to hug her as tight as I could. She had just lost her only son. I had lost my best friend. "Go back to sleep, Zoey, I'm sorry for having waken you up."
I stayed up staring at that horrible machine that had brought me the worst news. I remembered the last time I had seen him. George had just gotten a new job in Hawai'i and he was excited to go. We went for dinner together, for the old times. We joked about getting back together as we always did. When we said our goodbyes he hugged me and promised me he would come back for Christmas. That was out of the picture. He would never come back.
I tried to sleep, but sleep eluded me. I couldn't stop thinking about the funeral, about how he would be dead inside a wooden box. I didn't want to see him like that. I couldn't see him like that. I didn't want to remember him like that. The George I knew was a vital person who loved staying outdoors, not a corpse inside a coffin. The George I loved would never wear a suit. As the sun rose I took a decision. I wouldn't go to the funeral.
No comments:
Post a Comment