Italics is the past
Regular is the present
"Now, her youngest son Tremaine Neverson has a few words to say about her," the minister said as he stepped down from the podium. Trey stood up, buttoned his jacket, then approached the podium. He glanced out at the audience, the pews filled with his mother's family and friends, before looking back down at the crinkled piece of paper that he had been folding over and over during the precession.
Demi watched as Trey loosened his tie and looked down at the paper that he had been using to scribble down notes about his mother throughout the week. She knew he had about two good paragraphs written. Watching him struggle to even speak was painful for her. Maybe she should've stayed home. That was what Trey had wanted, after all.
"So, what time are we supposed to meet everyone at the funeral home?" Demi asked as she straightened another piece of her hair.
"I don't want you to come today," Trey mumbled after he finished washing his face. Demi set her flat iron down and turned to face him.
"Excuse me?"
"I don't want you to come today," he repeated, as if she were a child being scolded.
"Are you sure?"
The look on his face when he turned to her was enough to make her blood run cold.
"I'm fucking positive."
"My mom was...is...she was, um...she was my everything. She had the kindest heart and the sweetest soul. She only wanted what was best for me and all of her kids, even if she always didn't communicate that in the best way," he started, but then he stopped again. He loosened his tie. Took a step back from the podium. Squeezed his fists together. Cleared his throat. Then opened his mouth to continue.
Demi was trying to be supportive. She was trying to be there for Trey. She was trying to comfort him and be his backbone and hold him up but it seemed like he didn't want any of that. Every time she cuddled up to him at night he scooted away then left the bed all together to pace in the hallway until the sun rose. Every time she tried to ask him anything he would just ignore her and walk away. Demi understood though. She had lost her mom too. She shut everyone off and slipped into a depression that her father literally had to drag her out of months before she left for college. She just didn't want the same thing to happen to Trey, but it seemed as if it already was. The entire week leading up to the funeral he was never sober. At times, Demi had to force him to eat and force him to shower and force him to discuss funeral arrangements with his siblings. She tried to do as much as she could but she didn't know April so trying to plan her funeral with his siblings just wasn't something that she could do. And she still had to work and look after Kayla. So as much as she wanted to just drop everything for Trey and take care of everything for him, it was simply out of her hands.
"Trey, I just want to be there for you," Demi sincerely said as Trey lightly shrugged.
"I don't want you there."
A sick chuckle escaped his lips as he looked into the mirror. "You're probably happy she died after everything she said and did to you. You're probably happy that I stopped calling her every day and stopped going to her house for Sunday dinners. It's all your fault, ya know? I was so busy with you that I didn't even get to see how sick my mother was," Trey spat as Demi took a step back as if he had physically pushed her.
"Trey..."
"She cooked the best food. Even if our refrigerator was barely full she made sure we had something to eat, and made sure that every kid who came over to our house to play could eat as well. That was just how she was." He gulped. Fixed his tie again. Looked at the open casket in front of the podium. Cleared his throat again. Then started to speak.
"I understand what you're going through but you can not pin this on me. I told you that I didn't want you fighting with your mother. I understand you're upset but this isn't my fault, Trey," Demi responded before unplugging her flat iron. If Trey didn't want her there, she wasn't gonna push him. She just wanted this day to be as easy as possible for him.
"So, you're just going to walk away?" Trey hissed as Demi turned back to him.
"What else am I supposed to do? You obviously don't want to talk and you're clearly not in the right mind to have a civil conversation."
"Typical Demi. Always walking away when something doesn't go her way."
That caused Demi to whip back around. "And what the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"I wouldn't be the man that I am without her. She only wanted all of her kids to reach their full potential, and she made sure that happened come hell or high water. Tough love was her thing and everyone knew it." Everyone chuckled in agreement. Trey attempted to smile but it looked like he was grimacing. He fidgeted with his tie again then looked down at the paper. But this time when he opened his mouth, nothing came out.
"You don't tell me shit, Demi. Do you know what I have to go through to get you to talk to me? It's fucking ridiculous!"
"Well ain't that the pot calling the kettle black? Because last time I checked, you don't tell me anything either!" Demi was heated now. She understood that it was a hard day for him but she wasn't about to let him blame all of his problems on her. She wasn't about to let him blame the decay of his relationship with his mother on her when she had been the one who had tried to protect it in the first place.
"Why the fuck would I tell you anything when I trusted you with my life last time and I nearly ended up dead?" Trey hissed as Demi threw her hands into the air.
"See, you don't fucking trust me! And you haven't forgiven me either! I don't even know why we're still doing this. I told you a million times, a million times, that I don't know why you're with me and you should hate me but every single time you said, 'no baby, I love you. You're my everything. I could never hate you.' But you're a fucking liar because you keep bringing it up! If you had forgiven me you would let it go!" Demi screamed as Trey advanced towards her.
"Let it go? You want me to fucking let it go? You left me high and dry, left me to fucking die, and it took you years to tell me why! That bullshit letter you wrote is why I haven't forgiven you! Then you finally decided to tell me the damn truth and now my mother is dead and I can't do anything about it!" Trey yelled in her face as Demi released a frustrated breath.
"Get the fuck out of my face! And I didn't tell you why because I didn't want to ruin anything for you. I just wanted you to be happy!" Demi argued as Trey pushed her against the wall but she shoved him back. "DON'T FUCKING TOUCH ME. YOU KNOW I DON'T PLAY THAT SHIT TREY. I DON'T CARE HOW ANGRY YOU ARE. DON'T PUT YOUR DAMN HANDS ON ME BECAUSE YOU'LL GET IT BACK TEN TIMES WORSE."
"You won't do shit to me. I dare you to put your hands on me, Demi. I fucking dare you. Because I've got seven years worth of anger to let out and you're testing me right now."
"Then let me go...since all I do is run," Demi said through clenched teeth.
Demi watched Trey try to finish off the last few things he had to say about his mother. She watched him grip the sides of the podium in the same way he had gripped her sides this morning. He dropped his head and she watched as a single tear fell, but then he turned his head a little so that no one could see him cry. His sniffles echoed throughout the sanctuary but no one knew what to do. So everyone just watched.
Demi patted Kayla's hand before standing up and trying to politely move through the pew. Once she reached the aisle, she began her trek towards the stage. Once she reached the podium, she wrapped one of her arms around Trey, which caused him to release a deep sob. She gestured for Forrest to continue before leading Trey out of the sanctuary. She led him outside and sat down on one of the benches, allowing him to cry into her shoulder. Their fight this morning was raw and disgusting, and left her feeling achy and broken, but she still let him lean on her because right now, he was broken. It was her turn to pick up his broken pieces. And maybe they could heal together.
