Don't You Forget About Me

Marie grabbed her friends’ hands and started dancing around, singing at the top of her lungs.

“Marie, just what are you doing?” Katelyn asked, being pulled along with the small girl’s antics.

“Dancing!” Marie turned and looked at John, who was still frowning from earlier. “Come on guys! It’s my last night here, at least attempt to have some fun with me before I go.”

“But Marie, we’re going to miss you,” John protested, speaking for himself and his sister.

“I know, I know you will. I’m going to miss you too, so much, but I refuse to cry over it.” As though conjured by her fighting words, Marie gave a loud sniff. “Please? I want our last moments together to be fun ones. Besides, it’s not like I’ll be on the other side of the world and we can never ever visit.”

Marie’s father was transferred out of state, and this was their last night in the small town Marie grew up in.

Katelyn frowned, “But what if you make a bunch of new friends and forget about us?” The two girls had been attached at the hip ever since sharing a pillow at nap time in kindergarten. Later Katelyn introduced Marie to her twin, John, and five years later the three were still together.

“You know that’s impossible. Besides, don’t you want me to make new friends?”

John gave Marie a big bear hug. “Of course we want you to make new friends, right Katelyn?” He shot his sister a look. Katelyn never had many friends, and was more than a little jealous when asked to share her first friend.

“Yes. Yes! We do, Marie. I just don’t want to lose my best friend.” Katelyn sniffled and looked down. Marie pulled away from John and wrapped her arms around her greatest friend.

“You’ll always be my best friend, Katelyn. You know that. We’re the three musketeers for life, right?”

The other two nodded profusely and hugged her tight, kissing her cheeks. “Don’t you dare forget about me,” Kate told her.

“Or me!” John chimed in. He teased, “I’m the most important one!”

Marie giggled, “Never.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Marie clutched her sobbing friend close, silently crying into the other girl’s hair as she rubbed her back. “I’m here, Kate, I’m here.”

“He’s gone, Marie! He left me, just like you.”

Marie hushed her as guilt began to eat at the make of her mind. She had left her. She hadn’t kept in contact. She thought a clean cut was best. She was wrong. “I’m here now, I promise. I’ll be here as long as you need me to be.”

“I just wish John could have seen you before…” she drifted off.

Marie sighed and wiped away her tears. “I know, I do too.”

Katelyn pulled away and played with the friendship bracelet resting on her right wrist. “It’s good to have you back, Marie. Thanks for coming.”

Marie cast a sad glance at the open casket sitting on the other side of the gloomy room before looking back at her friends wrist. “You still have that thing?”

“I never took it off,” Katelyn told her with a forced laugh.

“I always keep mine on me,” Marie smiled, pulling her matching bracelet out of her purse.

Katelyn’s eyes went wide. “I thought for sure you would have broken it or tossed it away by now.” Marie shook her head and Katelyn offered a sad smile. “I made sure John’s will be buried with him. He never forgot you.”

Marie was well aware of the double meaning behind Katelyn’s words. “And I never forgot him.” Marie gave her another hug. “I hope by now you know I never forgot you either.”

Katelyn hugged her tight and locked their pinkies. “I know.”