"Promise you won't leave me behind," a phrase
uttered from one sister to another, in the middle
of the night, while sitting beside the grave of a
classmate, a teenage boy, that died too young.
"If you won't, I won't," her older sister replied.
Two girls, trapped in a world of consequences
resulting from other people's decisions. Addiction,
abuse, homelessness, death, rape, destruction, and
depression, a true riches to rags story. Little did they know, they were witnessing the fall of something deceitfully appealing, that, in the end, was more beautiful as a pile of ash.
These sisters made and have sustained a commitment to not quit on each other, no matter what traumatic blow is coming down the pipe next.
On that first night, they had no idea how large this commitment would be, as they watched pieces of their world shatter into smaller pieces.
Early in February of 2009, came the toughest trial yet. A call came that would drop anyone to their knees, saying a friend, that was once as close as a brother, made a choice to leave this life before his time was up.
The pain that followed that phone call still hasn't gone away. The heartache of not getting to say what you wanted to say is incessant. There is no pain greater than that of regret.
There isn't a day that goes by that his memory doesnt swirl around the city they drive through. A certain store, school, or hang out spot, sucks the air out of their lungs. The sight of his favorite drink sitting in the case at the gas station is a distraction. They see people that look like him while they shop for groceries and their hearts skip a beat. They see a car that looks like his driving on the road and they do a double take to make sure it wasn't him.
The motivation behind the message they would have sent that day is selfish. They wanted him to stay here with them. They wanted to grow up together, and start families of their own. And if they could go back in that one moment, they would say,
"Please don't leave us behind. Please stay."
