Putting the "Fun" in Funeral

Chloe came to in a sterile white room with soft voices paging over the loudspeaker, laying in stiff sheets with the most fluorescent of lights.

A pretty RA with red hair coiled on top of her head and soft green eyes walked in.

“Are you awake, sweetie?” she said, watching Chloe’s eyes flutter open.

“I… yeah. What happened? I remember Amy…” she said, narrowing her eyes in concentration.

“You and Drew will make a full recovery. It was a very brave thing of you too do�"saving Amy like that when that boy pushed her off the roof of that building. The authoreties are looking for him, but unfortunately they haven’t found him yet. But they will. They will,” she said. Her voice was raw with fury at the Homogenizer.

“And… Amy? Drew and I are making a full recovery, but you didn’t mention her…” Chloe feared the worst.

“I’m very sorry, Chloe. She was killed by the impact,” the nurse said, pain in her eyes and evident in her voice.

“K-killed?” Cold shivers ran up and down her spine like the fingers of Death itself. Shock chilled her blood. The nurse patted Chloe’s hand and left.

Chloe’s earsplitting scream of heartbreak and agony echoed through the hospital, which was used to such things.

            Later, Drew came into her room. He looked healthy, apart from a large purple bruise on half of his face and a few bandages on his arms. Chloe realized her damage was much the same, but all she felt was numbness. No pain, no joy. No feeling.

“I’m sorry, honey,” he said, holding her hands.

Suddenly, pain did come, hot and fast, filling her chest, stinging her eyes, burning at the back of her throat, spilling over in violent tears. She cried as if her heart were being torn out of her chest, clinging to Drew’s shirt, as he pulled her into his arms and soothed her, stroking her hair, murmuring empty words of useless consolation to someone far beyond comprehension, like comforting a bawling child. She was a bawling child in need of comfort, but instead of a skinned knee her heart was gone, torn out of her chest, taken by a girl killed by their nemesis.

“We have to kill him, Drew,” she said, her voice hiccupping and filled with tears, “He has to pay. For what he did to Amy. For what he did to us. For what he does to everyone. No more. No more! This has to end. We will defeat homophobic bullying in schools… one bully at a time. And I feel like the Homogenizer is our way into that fate. Are you in, Drew? Once you’re in, there’s no turning back. We’ll be committed. Whenever, wherever a gay child is in need, we will be there for him or her. No longer will gay children have to suffer. No more suicides. No more blood will fall from the wrists of the children shamed for those they choose to kiss. No more. No more. I wish that I could have reached this epiphany before losing Amy, but it’s too late. She’s gone. I miss her, and I will always miss her like hell. But she has opened my eyes. Hopefully no one else will have to die for me. For us. For this, for our cause. Too many people already have. It needs to stop. Drew, I’m going to stop it. I want your help. We can be in this together, or you can turn away and live in a world where who we are, what we feel and what is right is taboo. No more. No f*****g more!”

Drew took her hands in his.

“I’m with you, Chloe. Let’s do this. First, though, we have to go heal, go to Amy’s funeral, and work out. A lot. That’s the last time someone defeats us that badly. Our superheroic powers are not very helpful yet, but maybe we can hone them so they are. Let’s do this, Chloe! We’ll never lose a fight that badly again!” He said, giving her an enthusiastic high-five.

They hugged. Chloe and Drew. Partners in crime, or in righteousness, or whatever their goal may be.

“Now get back to your sarcastic, atheistic, super-smart self. Amy did not die in vain. Her death shall be avenged. And no one but you and I shall do it. But we can only do it if you go back to being your awesome kick-a*s self. Obnoxious, biting sarcasm and all. Because that is what makes you Chloe�"what I love about you, what your mother loves about you, what Amy loved about you. Smile, beautiful. You’re changing the world.”

She did, a tentative, watery smile that seemed to rip the very seams of her heart.

“That’s a start, baby,” he cooed.

            They went to Amy’s funeral. She was a pale rose-like being, with lips still parted oh-so-slightly, as if awaiting a kiss. Chloe touched her own lips, still feeling the tender ghost of Amy’s kiss still imprinted on them. Tears pressed against the backs of her eyes. Drew squeezed her hand, a friendly reminder that she was not in this alone. People came up to congratulate the two of them for attempting to save Amy before she plummeted to her death.

(In reality, what Chloe and Drew perceived as the Homogenizer taking Amy and shaking her so hard she became unconscious and then dropping her, as well as the battles between the Homogenizer and our two heroes, was actually just the Homogenizer pushing Amy off the top of the building, as well as a little scuffle between he and Drew, and Chloe diving, and attempting to shield Amy with her body. That’s it. Remember, Drew and Chloe just think they’re superheroes. They’re really just normal people. Like me. If the word “normal” could be an adequate adjective. Or you, but I don’t know who you are. You could think that you’re a singing lawn gnome from Scandinavia who is the incarnation of the Greek god Zeus. I write to entertain. STOP JUDGING ME.)

Anyway, Chloe was the last person to approach Amy’s coffin after the half-hour religious service that she had only stayed awake for out of respect for her lover, being an atheist.

Everyone else was out, starting their cars or sitting in the limo, awaiting the trip to the cemterey.

“Wow, Amy, I can’t believe that this is the last time I will ever see your beautiful face. The world will be deprived of your smile. The entirety of humanity will never hear the pleasing trill of your laugh. I’ll never be able to watch you stare out the window in the bus, wonder what is going through that beautiful mind of yours. All while watching you, your beautiful body, your gorgeous laugh, your amazing personality, your stunning voice. God, Amy, the little things about you are always the best, although I love everything about you. If only I could have asked you out earlier! We would have had so much more time. Everything in this world can be found or made again, everything but time. Time is what I need. Time is what I can’t have. Well, Amy, wherever you are now, I hope you are never limited by the restraints of time. I wish I could kiss you again, hold you, stroke the bone of your thumb when your hand is intertwined with mine. I wish, I wish, I wish. All of human philosophy is in that word, isn’t it? But we cannot succeed until you start doing and stop wishing. You will not have died in vain. I will make this world a better, safer place. For all of us “different” people. I only wish you could be here to help me, to hold me when I am weak, to be my reason, to be my home when all else is lost. It’s going to be so hard without you, Amy. Just remember that you will never truly be dead, not as long as your memory lives on in the hearts and minds of the people close to you. You will always be in my heart. Ever since the day I met you, I knew that I wanted you, wanted to know you, to meet you, to be the cause of your heavenly laughter. Well, I got my wish. Someday, I will be with you. Forever, and nothing will be able to separate us. I’ll just have to kick some a*s for you until it’s my time to join you. Amy… I love you. I know, our relationship lasted all of two blocks. But who cares, I’ve known that ever since the very first time I laid eyes on you, before I even knew I was a lesbian! If only I could have told this to you while you lived, when I could see your face light up, your eyes light with happiness, your face pink with excitement. How can you say goodbye when I know I’ll never see your face again? How can I say a final farewell? It’s so hard. Goodbyes always are… Oh, Amy. Your skin is so cold, it’s like this person isn’t you. It’s not, the essence that makes you you is gone, to whatever happens after we die. That’s what I’ll miss the most. I love you, Amy. I love you I love you I love you, and I always will. Goodbye. Farewell. You will forever remain in my heart. I have to leave your side, but you will still be with me in all ways that matter,” Chloe said, cupping a hand against her cold face, brushing her fingers gently over all her features. Softly over the closed eyes, over the smooth nose, delicate on the soft lips, resting again on the hollows of her cheeks. Then, tears spilling from her eyelashes, she climbed into the passenger seat of Drew’s boring car that she often offered to improve. They drove together, silently sharing sorrow, until they parked in the graveyard. Together they watched Amy be buried forever under the earth, returning to the dirt. Chloe started sobbing, and Drew pulled her into his chest. Hysterically she cried, he patted her on the back until her sobs turned into hiccups.

She let herself be lead away from the woman she loved under Drew’s guiding arm.