| One Last Glimpse Erik Lexington ran up to flagpole where Kate Manillow was standing. �Where are Eva and Jason?� he asked her. �I was at Eva�s locker when Jason came up and said he wanted to talk to her alone.� Kate said. �So I decided to come out here and wait.� �Okay.� He said and turned to the door just as Eva and Jason came out. In a few minutes they had woven their way through the stream of students leaving the high school and were standing by Erik and Kate. �We�re ready when you are.� Eva told them.� �Great! Let�s go! I�m dying out here, and in there.� She said pointing to the school. She fanned herself and said, �I hate it when it gets to be so hot!� Eva laughed and threw her arm around Kate�s shoulder as they all started to walk out of the school parking lot. The group talked happily until they stopped at Erik and Eva�s house. �Well, see you guys tomorrow.� Erik said as Eva got the mail. They all waved and Kate and Jason turned their separate ways at the next road as Erik and Eva walked into their house. The cool air, courtesy of the air conditioner, greeted them. Eva set her backpack on the floor by the door, kicked off her sandals and dropped down on the couch closing her eyes. Erik sat down on a chair and studied his twin for a moment before deciding she wasn�t going to say anything. �So, what did Jason talk to you about?� She opened her eyes and looked at him. �He wanted to know if I wanted to go see a movie with him after the football game tomorrow night.� �What did you say?� Erik asked her. �I said yes.� Eva said closing her eyes again. Erik smiled and picked up his bag. He sat down at the dining room table where he would have more space. He was happy. Jason had liked Eva for a long time. Although he had to admit it would be weird if his best friend and twin sister went out a lot. ~~**~~ Eva was helping their mom make a salad and Erik and was setting the table when their dad came home. �Hi Erik.� He said setting his briefcase down on the floor. He patted Erik�s shoulder saying, �How was your day?� �Good. How was yours?� �Pretty good.� He said and walked into the kitchen. He stepped behind Eva who was chopping lettuce and tickled her sides. Eva set the knife down on the cutting board and turned around, giggling, so that she could try to avoid him. Their father laughed and stopped tickling her, pulling her closer for a hug. �How was your day Evie?� he asked her. �Great!� she said and turned back to finish cutting the lettuce. Next their father went to their mom who turned off the stove. �Hi honey.� He said. �How are you guys?� Their mother laughed, patting her stomach. �Well, the babies are doing fine, but they keep kicking me a lot.� Scott Lexington laughed and told his wife, �Good. I�m glad.� Jana swatted him playfully, but her smile told everyone that she was glad that the babies were kicking too. That meant they were healthy. In two months she�d have the babies and then they�d be kicking everyone else. �I�m done! It�s a make-your-own-salad.� Eva announced and everyone got into a line and picked up a bowl to make their salads. After they were all seated at the table, Scott asked. �Are you two doing anything tomorrow? It�s a Friday night.� �We have a football game to go to and then after that Jason and I are going to a movie.� Eva said. �Alone?� Jana asked. �Yes.� Eva said. Scott and Jana exchanged smiles. �What?� Eva exclaimed. �Nothing.� Scott said shaking his head. But even then he and Jana looked at each other with that look. It was a well-known fact that their parents really liked Jason and wanted Eva to go out with a guy like him, or even better, Jason himself. Eva just laughed and, shaking her head jabbed a forkful of lettuce. ~~**~~ The game had gone well, and their team had won. Eva and Kate were glad. They hadn�t cheered for nothing in those short little cheerleading skirts. After Eva had changed she ran outside with her duffle bag to Jason�s car where he and Erik were talking. She got in the front seat and Jason started the car. �See ya later Erik!� he yelled and pulled out of the parking lot. ~~**~~ Laughing, Jason and Eva hopped into his car. �That was such a good movie!� Eva yelled. �Yeah it was.� Jason said looking at her. �Thanks for coming with me.� �Thanks for taking me.� She said smiling. Jason slowly leaned towards her, his heart beating rapidly. He knew that what he was about to do could break their friendship completely. Quickly, he kissed her. But, she didn�t push him away. She didn�t scream and jump out of the car. Instead she kissed his back, just as quickly. Jason leaned back into his seat. �We should do something again sometime.� He said. He quickly looked at her, relaxing when he saw that she was smiling. �Yes, we should.� She said. Jason smiled back and started the car. Soon, they were talking again. But it wasn�t like old times when they were talking just as friends. Jason kept staring at the road, afraid that if he looked at her he�d just stare at her and drive off the road. A bright light came into view and he couldn�t see anything. He looked to the side to see where he was, but all he saw was Eva�s wide, terrified eyes. He heard her scream and then he heard the sound as the windshield splintered into tiny shards of glass spraying inside the car at them and out. The airbags went off at a frightening speed. Jason saw the passenger air bag hit Eva squarely in the face before his face was covered by the white, air-filled fabric. ~~**~~ Erik was flipping through the channels. Nothing was on TV and his parents were at dinner with some friends. The phone rang and he quickly ran to answer it. �Hello?� �Hi, is this the Lexington home?� a woman on the other end asked. �Yes.� He said. �Are you Scott Lexington?� she asked. �No, I�m Erik.� He said confused. �Is Scott there?� the woman asked. �No.� he said. �Do you know how to reach him?� she asked. �Yes. Why?� Erik asked scared. For a moment he wondered if his mother had gone into premature labor. But he quickly dismissed that thought since his father was with his mother. �Eva Lexington and her friend Jason Larough were in a car accident this evening.� The woman said. �Oh my gosh! Is she okay? Is Jason okay?� Erik asked his heart racing. �Jason, had to get some stitches on a deep wound in his forehead. He has a concussion and some bruising but other than that he�ll be fine.� The woman said. �What about Eva?� Erik asked wondering why this woman was avoiding telling him about her. �Eva had some internal bleeding. The front of the car was smashed, and it moved backward into her.� The woman said. �Is she okay?� Erik yelled into the phone. �A surgeon is in with the doctors working on her now.� The woman said. �We need her parents.� �Yeah, they�ll be right there.� Erik said and hung up. Quickly he dialed his parents cell phone number. His mom answered the phone and he quickly yelled, �You guys need to go to the hospital! I�ll meet you there!� �What�s wrong?� his mothers worried voice carried through the phone. �Jason and Eve were in a car accident on the way home. Her injuries sound pretty bad.� Erik quickly told her. �We�ll be right there.� She said and hung up. Erik quickly called Kate, who said she was on her way, then grabbed the keys to the jeep and left. ~~**~~ Erik got there before anyone else. Kate ran in a few seconds after him. They ran up to the desk and asked, �We need to find out how a patient is doing.� �Full name please?� the woman asked. �Eva Marie Lexington.� He said and the woman typed the name in. She looked up. �I�m sorry. Her parents haven�t arrived yet. We can�t give out any information until they get here.� �Please! I�m her twin brother!� Erik pleaded. �I�m sorry. We can release any information until her parents get here.� Erik sighed and turned around, leaning against the counter for support. He just wanted his heart to stop beating so fast! He heard the doors in the entrance slide open. He looked up just as his parents ran up to him. �How is she?� his mother asked. �They won�t tell me.� He said. Scott tapped on the counter and the woman looked up. �May I help you?� �I�m Scott Lexington, Eva Lexington�s father.� The woman stood up. �I�ll go get her doctor.� ~~**~~ While they were waiting for Eva�s doctor, Jason�s parents came in. They quickly ran over. �Jason called us. Have you heard about Eva yet?� his mother asked. �No, Sandra.� Jana sighed. �The nurse is trying to find her doctor.� �Will you tell us when you hear something? We�re going to Jason�s room.� Sandra asked. �Of course, what room is he in?� Jana answered. �Room 3, bed 2.� Sandra said and then looked at Kate. �Why don�t you come with us Kate.� Kate nodded and walked off with Jason�s parents. They all knew the news wasn�t good. �Mr. and Mrs. Lexington?� a deep voice asked. Scott, Jana and Erik turned around. �Yes?� Scott asked. The doctor came closer and quietly said, �I�m Dr. Carpenter. I worked on Eva. The front of the car smashed into her, and she experienced quite a lot of internal bleeding. The only reason Jason didn�t have the same problem was that the truck driver tried to swerve, and hit Eva�s side of the car. We called a surgeon in to try to stop the bleeding, but the bleeding was too bad and she had already bled too much. She died. I�m sorry.� Jana put her hand up to her mouth in shock. �It�s been confirmed that the driver who hit Jason and Eva was drunk. The accident was entirely his fault. They didn�t have enough time to respond.� �How�s the driver?� Scott asked. �He escaped the crash with minor injuries.� Dr. Carpenter told them. �He was employed by a moving company and was taking someone�s stuff to their new home.� �Can we see her?� Erik asked. He was still too numb by the news to feel any pain from her death yet. �Of course.� He said and led them to the room. Awhile later, Scott and Jana took Kate and Jason�s parents out of his room to tell them the news. Erik stayed with Jason to tell him what happened. Erik sighed, �When the truck driver saw you guys, he tried to swerve off to the side. He didn�t make it and hit Eve�s side of the car. The front of the car smashed into her and she experienced a lot of internal bleeding. They tried to stop it, but couldn�t. And she had bled too much already.� Jason�s eyes welled up with tears. �So she�s�dead?� Erik looked away. The tears had finally come. �Yes.� Jason saw the tears explode from Erik�s eyes and started sobbing himself. �I�m so sorry, Erik! I�m so sorry!� �For what?� Erik looked at him. �For taking your sister away from you.� Jason said. �You didn�t do anything!� Erik said. �It was all the truck drivers fault.� �Maybe if I hadn�t looked away from the headlights�� Jason sobbed. �That wouldn�t have changed anything.� Erik said. �Maybe if I had swerved too�� �Then you would�ve been hit!� Erik cried. �Maybe that would�ve been better.� Jason quietly said. �Jase, it�s not your fault. It�s the truck drivers. He was drunk!� Erik said. Erik was finally able to console Jason and take away some of the guilt he felt. But nobody could take away the pain that a drunk driver had taken his sister�s life and made his best friend blame himself. ~~**~~ Later that night, Jana went into labor, and had two twin girls. The doctors said that since they were two months early they�d have to spend about a week in the hospital, but he didn�t expect it to be any longer than that. They named one of the girls Ava and the other Maria. ~~**~~ Jason and Jana were released from the hospital three days later, and the plans for Eva�s funeral began. Kate and Jana picked out a dress to put on Eva. Erik, Scott and Jason searched for a casket. They were all happy when they found out that the truck driver had been charged guilty of vehicular manslaughter and was given a jail sentence. But Erik didn�t feel any comfort by it. The man only had a jail sentence; Eva had lost her life. Everyone decided that Erik should do her eulogy. He wrote it right away. ~~**~~ Erik looked at his tie in the mirror and decided to go with green one instead of the black. The green looked better with his black shirt, black suit jacket, black pants and black shoes. Ava and Maria were out of the hospital and dressed in black sundresses, with black sweaters. His mother was dressed in a lovely, simple black dress. His father was in a black tux and black shoes. When the limosine pulled up at their house, they quietly got in. Erik watched the driver and thought it must be hard when they were hired to drive a funeral party around. He wondered how often they were chosen. There was an hour of visiting time for family before the two hours for friends. Erik quietly walked up the aisle. His parents had stopped with the twins to talk to the minister. He looked into black casket lined with white satin. He stroked Eva�s long black hair. She looked lovely, with the tiny curls at the end. The dress Kate and his mother had picked out was lovely. It was a sparkly white sleevless dress. A red, pink, white, yellow and orange roses were held together by a sparkly white ribbon. She held the bouquet in her hands. Soon aunts and uncles and cousins and grandparents came. They looked at Eva and offered words of comfort to her parents and received words of comfort back. But when they talked to Erik, all they wanted to was to comfort him. Each person spent a lot of time talking to Erik. The same thing happened when friends and neighbors, teachers and the principal showed up. Jason came, and looked at Eva�s body for a second but couldn�t look any longer than that. The minister came up and stood in the pulpit. The workers from the funeral home came and closed the lid of the casket, blocking her off. The funeral started and they sang. The minister read some verses from the bible, including her confirmation verse. �Everything on earth has its own time and its own season. There is a time for birth and a time for death,� tears started to stream down Erik�s face. The time for his sisters� birth and his twin�s death had definitely not been last week. He still believed that. �Planting and reaping, for killing and healing, destroying and building, for crying and laughing,� and soon the ministers voice changed into Eva�s. �Weeping and dancing, for throwing stones and gathering stones, embracing and parting. There is a time for finding and losing, keeping and giving, for tearing and sewing, listening and speaking. There is also a time for love and hate, for peace and war. Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8.� Some more people spoke the principal, some students and a neighbor. Then it was time for Erik to give her eulogy. �Earlier we heard her favorite verse. A verse about time, a verse from Ecclesiastes. I could hear my sister saying this verse. It�s been a hard time for me. I lost my sister and gained two in one day. Maria and Ava�s birthday will always be a hard day, as it was also the day of Eva�s death. I don�t think it was supposed to happen that way. It�s hard for me to believe what that verse says, but it kills me to say it because Eva did. I don�t believe that last Friday was really the time for Eva�s death and for Maria and Ava�s birth. But, it certainly was a time for killing and healing. Eva was killed by one of the men who were healed. I thought I had a speech prepared, I guess I don�t. Or maybe I did but when I saw Eva lying there in the casket and I heard her saying the words of her favorite bible verse, the speech really wasn�t right. I guess what I have to say is not to take life for granted because you never know when it might end. Eva didn�t take her life for granted.� He stopped and shook his head and tears burst from his eyes. Halting he said, �All I want�is�one last glimpse�of Eva�moving. Not�lifeless like in that�casket.� Silently he moved away from the pulpit. ~~**~~ They had buried Eva. It was over and now they could get on with their lives. Or so most people thought. Erik didn�t think he�d ever be able to get on with his life. He was crouching on the grass outside. He heard something and looked up. Eva was standing before him, in the sparkly white dress. It ended just above her knees. She had white high-heeled shoes on. Her hair and skirt were blowing in a wind that only she could feel. She smiled and waved. Then she held one hand up to her mouth and kissed her. Blowing on her hand, glitter flew towards him. He reached out and grabbed it. She smiled again, waved and then was gone. He opened his hand and saw nothing in it. He looked around. No one else was there who could tell him if he had really just seen his sister. Whether it had been her or a figment of his imagination he knew God had heard his eulogy. He had said he wanted one last glimpse of Eva moving, not lifeless like she was in the casket. It was a gift for him, possibly because he was the only one who needed it. He walked inside knowing that someday he�d be fine. When, he didn�t know. He just knew that someday he�d be fine. |
| � 2001 Crissie |