Meaningful Mistakes

Chapter Forty One

I haven't been to a graveyard before. I never have needed to because I've never had a family member or friend pass away.

It's daunting when we arrive at the small one Lacewood has. Knowing the ground is filled with people that have been lost sends an ache through my body.

A few weeks ago I could've been one of them. If I had been alone when my heart entered failure, or if I hadn't decided to respond to treatment- I would've been lowered into this mud.

"It's sad there was no memorial for her." Chuck says quietly while we walk on the uneven gravel path with the muddy grass beside us.

"The only family she had was her mother, and we all know what that was like for her." There still is a void in my heart for her. The necklace around my neck burns my skin.

"The little cheeseball was locked in a shoebox her whole life." Chuck nearly trips on a loose rock after he says this. "I swear this is why I hate graveyards. You're surrounded by dead people and I almost just joined the party because of a stupid rock! I don't want no reservation in this one star graveyard."

I laugh at his dramatic words. "You could've waited back with William and Hunter if you didn't want to come this far."

He glances back at the entrance gate where Hunter and William are waiting. "Hunter would've stomped on my designer slides if I left you alone."

I sneak a look at his feet, raising my eyebrows at his choice of white socks and slides. "Chuck, what the hell are you wearing?"

He playfully glares at me since I laugh at his outfit which also includes a plain shirt and casual slacks. "It looked good with the white shirt! Besides, I wouldn't have been worried about Hunter stomping on them cause they're fakes. I can't afford even one of the real ones."

I laugh even harder, internally thanking him for creating a distraction so my mood isn't gloomy while we walk down the row where the headstone and grave is.

It took us a lot of searching to find the stone head. "Is that it?" Chuck points towards it, and when we near it, the guess is correct.

Water pools in my eyes. "Yeah, that's it."

Harper Janet Edwards

"There isn't even some cliche sentence on it about her." I wipe away the first tear that falls, and try to breathe past the rest.

Even after death, no one cared for her.

"And it looks like we're the first to bring flowers, too." Chuck adds. Every other grave has bright coloured flowers and decorations surrounding the grave stone, but Harper's remains plain and untouched.

I stand the red roses in the metal vase that is beside every grave, adding life to her resting place. "Her only way of freedom was that hospital. She's free from the nightmares of being kept from the world now, but it's still-"

"Wait a minute," Chuck interrupts me, "why do I have a feeling the old lady waddling over here with the horridly cut orange hair is Harper's mom?"

I stare in the direction he is, noticing the larger lady with spiky copper hair much like Harper's. If this is her, it isn't what I was expecting. I recall being told that her mom was part of the reason she had such strict diet's set- so seeing a larger lady was a small surprise. I expected someone like my own mother.