I made it to the only funeral parlor in town, and I had this strange feeling come over me. I didn't believe in fate or magic or anything like that, but so help me it was like I could feel her in there. I didn't know how in the world I would know such a thing, but I certainly felt like Amber was right ahead of me. All I had to do was go to her. This feeling that we always had between us was something that I wanted to believe was real. I wanted it to be something that was still felt all these years later. I know that I still thought about her, but did she still think about me?
I was a little late, probably because it took me about ten minutes to get out of the damn truck and into the funeral parlor. The place was packed. Gerald was a beloved man in the small town. Hampton was also a small town, so people actually cared. A lot of them were there just like me, some obligation or another. If I didn't go, people would notice, and it would be brought up later. Maybe they weren't there for quite the reason I was. They probably weren't there for a long lost love from when they were in high school like me, but I liked to think that I wasn't the only one doing it for a reason.
Because I was late, and the ceremony had already started, I was quick to sit down in the back. I wanted to observe a little bit before I was seen by anyone else. I wanted, quite honestly, to see if Amber was there. And if she was, I wanted to get time to get used to seeing her again. It had been so long, and I was so in my head about what to do. I can't remember a time where I felt so indecisive.
It didn't take long for me to find her in the crowd. That was because she was sitting in front with his closest relatives. I don't remember her saying that she had any brothers or sisters. I hadn't even seen her face yet, but I knew that it was her by the color of her bright red hair. Of course, it was her. I'd never seen that color hair on anyone else, and I think if I did, I would have told them to dye it another color because it didn't belong to them. It belonged to her.
I could only see her from behind, so all of the curiosity that I had was still in full effect. I tried to silently get her to move forward. All she had to do was turn around and see me. Let me see her. Couldn't she feel my attention?
It was only when the funeral director was done talking and he introduced her, that I was able to finally see her. I couldn't say how badly I wanted to. I was convinced that so many things would have changed with her. I wouldn't feel the same way that I always had before. I just knew it, but I was wrong. She looked almost exactly the same. Her porcelain skin was still as white as it could be and was covered in freckles. Her green eyes were flashing, even as far away as I was, I knew that they were the same color and had the same gusto that they always had.
Amber had filled out a little bit, became more of a woman. Last time I had seen her, she was nothing but a girl. Now, with her rounded hips and full chest, I could tell very clearly that things were different. She was even more beautiful than before, if that was possible. It certainly didn't feel like it should be.
My heart was beating harder in my chest, and the more I looked at her, the more I knew that she was exactly the woman that I needed. I hadn't been waiting for her, but maybe my heart had been. My body had used other women to fulfill the immediate desires that I had, but always in the back of my mind, I was thinking about one woman. How I was comparing them to one woman, a woman that I had never even been with more than a kiss. How funny that a kiss could change everything.
“Thank you all for coming. I look out into the crowd and I recognize most of you. As you know, every summer I was here staying with my grandfather and to this day, with all of my travels behind me, it is by far my most happiest memories. The people in this town were so good to me and made me fall in love with small towns. Even as I traveled and started a life, I always came back here. Hampton and my grandfather were the only steady things in my life. Without both of them, I don't know if I'd be the person I am today. I know without my grandfather, I wouldn't have done the many things he encouraged me to do. He was always there for me, the one who always believed in me, and I just can't believe he's gone.”
I felt bad for her then, her voice so strong in the beginning, but it really just started cracking up by the end of it. Anyone present could see that she was hurting. Everyone there knew her and knew that she loved him. It was sad, and I felt like all I wanted to do was go to her and make her feel better. She had such a heavy heart. I could feel it from where I sat.
Then, out of the blue, she looked my
