Kayla--Kellee

It was 10 years ago and yet I still remember it like it was yesterday. It was a cold cloudy Tuesday night in November. My mom and I just finished eating dinner and were watching T.V. before I went to sleep when the phone rang. My mom answered and said hello. After that it was silent for a few moments which to hyper seven year old girl seemed like an eternity. I remember asking my mom over and over who it was, when finally she said, “No! No! It’s not true.” and began to cry. At this point I knew that this wasn’t the time to be quite so energetic, so I calmed down and began to ask her what happened? She hung up and was crying and crying. I tried to comfort her by rubbing her back. After a few minutes she mumbled the words, “That was Papa,” my grandpa. Then I was confused because I didn’t know what Papa could say that was so horrible. Then she mumbled the rest through her tears and said, “Kellee died.” As a seven year old I knew that death was a devastating thing, but I didn’t understand the full concept of it. I remember having to rush and get ready to go to hospital and that the car ride over was horrible. Having to listen to my mom try and hold back tears and contain her sniffles, but that doesn’t compare to what I had coming when I got to the hospital. When we arrived at the hospital I saw so many people crying that I wasn’t prepared to deal with so much emotion. Kellee’s room was on a corner and there were two hallways that intersected. Those two hallways were filled with her friends and family all crying, trying to support each other but all in disbelief that someone so young, good, caring and loving could die so suddenly with no warning or explanation. I found a corner and sat down in the midst of the crowd and tried to play on my Gameboy but couldn’t help staring at all the devastated people around me. People came in and out of the room and I couldn’t tell if they were worse before or after they saw her body lying there lifeless on the hospital bed. At one point I remember one of the adults calming down and holding back their tear just enough to ask me if I wanted to go in and see her but I said no because everyone was crying when they saw her and I didn’t want to cry, because I had to stay strong for my family, so decided that I was fine sitting in my corner waiting for my mom to say she was ready to go. Little did I know that that wouldn’t happen anytime soon. As time passed and people slowly began to leave because they had to get up early to go to work; eventually my grandma came over and asked me if I was tired and wanted to go home. Of course I agreed with a droopy nod and she left to go get my mother so we could go home. Once I was home and in bed I was asleep in seconds. I remember waking up the next day thinking everything would be back to normal now until I saw my mother’s lifeless face and in that moment I realized that it would be awhile before things got back to normal. I also realized that tomorrow is not promised and you never know if you’ll see someone again so live every day to the fullest and love everyone as if it’s your last chance to be with them. Kellee was my aunt, she was 37 and had just had her first child five months ago, and it was a baby boy named Jonathan. Auntie Kellee was loved by everyone and so many friends that she would never go lonely. I’m sorry to say that I don’t remember her but I know that we would have been best friends if she were still alive. I love you Auntie Kellee, rest in peace.