Book Two: Live the Present - An Ashton Irwin Fanfiction

Chapter 5 - Death and Mistakes

The next day, after I went to church with Mrs. Smith, we drove home and I grabbed the newspaper from the front porch as we walked in. I saw Ashton sitting on the couch as he usually is when we come home. If we aren't home, he knows that we always keep the basement door unlocked. I greeted him and quickly ran up to my room.

In my room, I changed into one of my large t-shirts and took my bra off. I put sweatpants on and took my makeup off. Ashton didn't care whether I had makeup on or not. He cared that I was comfortable, and I am very comfortable like this. I walked back downstairs and sat next to him.

I picked up the newspaper and saw a small story on the bottom of the first page that said: "Man Killed in Car Accident while Drunk Driving". I read the story and it said, "Travis Walters was killed in a car accident while driving under the influence. He crashed their car into a light pole off the side of the road near Sydney. His wife, named Audrey Walters, and he have a daughter named Chloe Elizabeth Walters, 15, and a granddaughter named Kaely Grace Walters, 11 months. A funeral is being planned for Sunday, September 13 at 6pm by Grace Smith, Kaely's paternal great-grandmother whom Chloe has been living with for the past year and a half. Anyone is welcome to attend, and speeches will be made by various friends or family."

That was my dad. He was dead, killed in a car accident when driving while drunk! Did Mrs. Smith know about is?

"Mrs. Smith?!" I yelled for her, walking upstairs where she went.

"Yes, sweetheart?" She wondered what was wrong.

"Um, I saw this in the paper.. My dad is dead," I said, and she nodded.

"I'm so sorry, Chloe. I didn't think you would mind all at much. He hasn't taken care of you for the past seven years"

"I know it's just-" I was cut off mid-sentence by trying to think, "I mean, he was there for me for my first eight years. He might've stopped then, but he was still part of half of my life.. I can't just throw him out the window and wish he never existed!"

"I'm so sorry, Chloe" she apologized, and I ran down the stairs.

I ran into the living room and plopped myself down on Ashton's lap, hugging him and crying. He had no idea what was going on, but I was just hugging him with my legs wrapped around his waist and my arms wrapped around him neck. I was crying over his shoulder, and he was rubbing my back, telling me to let it out.

"It's okay, baby, it's okay.." He soothed.

Mrs. Smith came down the stairs and walked into the living room. She waked over to us and touched my back while saying, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you." I didn't say anything to her. I wasn't mad at her, I just didn't want to talk right at that moment.

"Chloe.." She tried to talk to me, "Chloe, his funeral is tonight. You can skip youth group to go if you want,"

"I'll go," I answered.

"I'm going too, okay babe?" Ashton told me.

"Ashton.. You don't have to," I assured him.

"Chloe, if this was my dad, I'd be a wreck, even though he hasn't been in my life much. I'm going to support you, also because I love you" Ashton whispered into my ear.

"Thank you, Ashton" I smiled then said, "I'm going to give a speech.."

"I will too" Ashton added. I smiled at him as my way of thanking him. I wasn't smiling much, though. I was such a wreck.

------

That night at the funeral, I realized mum wasn't there. Of course she wasn't there, she was probably at a club. She probably didn't even care.

The service started, and a few minutes into it, they had me go up and tell my speech.

I started, "My father was a wonderful man for the first eight years of my life until he began doing drugs and drinking. He became destructive and threw things around. I don't want to get started into that, though. I remember him as the amazing man he was when I was a child. I also remember seeing many pictures of him as a child in scrapbook my grandparents had." I clicked a button and a slideshow of pictures started (pics in the external link) "He was a cute child, I always thought. When I was born, he was still pretty good looking, if I do say so myself. I remember hearing about great stories of when him and my mum got married. He would always play with me as a child and he would give me piggyback rides," I began to cry when those pictures came onto the board, "he was a really great father and I wish I could see him once more, just like he was before drugs. I would love that.. Rest in peace, dad, rest in peace"

Everyone clapped and Ashton walked up to the podium. He cleared his throat, and into the mic, he said, "Travis Walters, as much as I know about him, was a great guy, until drugs. He is the father of my girlfriend, and I want to thank him for her, since she is the light of my world. I love how much Chloe smiles when she tells her memories with him, because when she does that, you can tell he was a great man. I've never met him, but I can tell from stories and the way Chloe says it that he was an exceptional father. As I've said, I want to thank him for Chloe and thank him for being a wonderful father for about half of her life, which sculpted her into the young woman she is today. So, thank you, Travis. You seem like an outstanding man, and I hope to meet you in heaven someday." I smiled as he finished and walked back to sit next to me.

"You did great," I complimented.

"You too" he said back.

------

About an hour later, people were done with speeches and the pastor was done with what he wanted to say. Everyone was leaving and going to the cemetery to bury him so we could do that before it got too dark. The pastor said a few more things there, and before they proceeded to bury him, I stood up. I wanted to see him before they buried him, but it was a closed casket since he was all bloody and discombobulated from the crash.

"Could I please see my father before you bury him?" I asked.

"Miss, we believe it is best for nobody to see him. It is very horrific," the pastor said.

"I am his daughter. I have the right to see my father before you bury him for good. I don't care how gory it is. I believe I have the right to see him once more," I stood up for myself.

"Alright," he agreed, "but everyone else may leave for a few minutes."

Ashton took Kaely away from the place in the cemetery for a few minutes. I stayed and watched everybody leave as I was waiting to see my father before he was buried.

No one was left except for me, the pastor, and the dead body of my father. The pastor opened the casket carefully and slowly revealed a dead body. It was bloody, horrific, and tragic. I looked at his right hand, the hand facing me, and did not see his scar on his pointer finger from the time when I was a baby that he cut his finger deep. I looked at the face. It looked like my father, yet this man had a slightly different part in his hair. My dad's part was curved slightly, and this man's was straight.

"This is not my father!!!" I yelled at the pastor, creating a scene.