15 - The Hanson Game Saga, Vol.3: A Splash of Yellow on Gray - Tammi
The boystood cold and frozen in time, watching his entire life go by in aninstant.
In an Mmmbop they’re gone.. Inan Mmmbop they’re not there..
He smilesat the remembrance of the song. That song; the song that made theirpopularity soar in the sky. The song that brought them fame.
So whatif that for the past few years they’ve always been known as the ‘Mmmbopboys’?
They had the fame, the money, the girls, they had everything.
He standsas if in a glass box watching his life go by like another movie.
Frustrated he grabs the remote control and pushes stop.
He goesto the VCR and takes the tape out. It is simply labeled ‘Hanson Appearances’.
It’s notmine. Not my tape, or my house. But my life is there all on that tape.)
Scowlinghe picks up his coat and walks outside into the rainy November afternoon.Locking the door behind him he opens up his yellow umbrella. A splash ofsunshine in a dreary, gray day.
Hedrives in his car downtown. The store windows covered with holidaydecorations. Everywhere there is flashes of green, red, silver, and goldas he drives by.
Finallyhe stops at in front of a tall gray building blending in with the gray sky. Parking his car he once again opens up the yellow umbrella and dashestowards the building.
Heignores the chaos and rush around him as he keeps his head down as if tohide from the world.
Theyoung man sighed as he approached his destination. He lifted his eyes upto the tall gray building before him and opened the heavy glass doors andstepped inside.
Noise andchaos bustled around him as he pushed his way through crowds and upelevators. Nervously he walked up to a set of doors and stopped.
No noiseprojected around him. Everything was silent except for the own thump ofhis heartbeat and his own raspy breathing.
Taking adeep breath he opened the doors and walked inside the long dark hallway.
Someunaware of the world around them, others talking to themselves.
Quicklyhe made his way down the hallway to a door.
Slowly heopened the door and stepped inside.
A younggirl sat next to a table wearing a pale yellow nightgown, a empty milkbottle filled with yellow flowers.
A blankexpression held her face, her eyes unmoving except for the occasionalblink.
"Hey areyou feeling better today?" he asked.
Shestared straight ahead her as if she was gazing into space.
"Ikejust turned twenty-one last week."
"Well,Katherine’s finally talking to Ike again." he said.
She couldbeen a mannequin or in a picture.
"Oh didyou know that they have a son? His name’s Michael, he’s about two yearsold now."
Slowlyshe moved her head to the side and looked at him.
Zac gavea wry smile. That was the most she could do. Sit there and stare at him.
"WellKathy dumped him when she got pregnant, you were right no girl would wantto deal with us lying all the time." he sighed and pushed a lock of hisnow short hair behind his ear.
Vivianmoved her head again forward, her blue colored eyes blinking.
"Taylor,finally got help too awhile back, he was in rehab for almost three months." he continued on. "He’s officially drug-free, we all are."
Then helooked down at his hands. "We’re just lucky the media didn’t find out."
A fewmoments of awkward silence went by, a nurse walked in and picked up thelaundry.
"Youwere right when you said that we would get addicted so fast, I gotoverdosed on something one night." he looked down at his lap and sighed.
(Don’tbe sad)
Zac shothis head up. "Did you just say something?"
(Drugsare BBBBAAAAADDDDD)
"Oh mygod I’m going crazy."
(Canyou tell me who John Galt is?)
He jumpedup in his seat and started to step backwards until his shoulder blades hitthe wall.
"I didnot just hear that."
(Neverfear Zachary, we’re all a part of the Neverending story!)
Zac stoodagainst the wall, a frozen look of shock plastered on his face.
The lasttime this had happened. The last time this happened….
Summer 2001
"I can’t take it anymore!"
Everyone turned their heads tothe end of the table where Isaac was sitting.
"Isaac, are you okay?" Dianastood up to see where her oldest son had fallen.
"GOD STOP IT! YOU’RE NOT ALIVEYOU’RE DEAD STOPIT!"
That was the last straw,everyone rushed out of their seats and ran over to where he was on thefloor.
Isaac sat curled up in thefetal position on the floor, his palms pressed against his ears, his eyesclenched tightly.
"I’M NOT CRAZY!" he shriekedhysterically.
Zac gulped. This had been thesecond time that had happened. Out of nowhere he would have an attack andstart to shout of nonsense things as if he was possessed.
"GO TO HELL AND LEAVE MEALONE!"
That was the last straw, Zacpulled onto Jessica’s arm and gestured her to walk away. Immediately likea chain Avery, Mackenzie, and Zoe followed obediently.
(InsideIsaac’s mind)
(We’re not having that much funare we?)
"Stop talking tome!"
"Isaac, son you’re okay nobody’strying to hurt you."
(Yeah nobody’s trying to hurtyou)
"SHUT UP!"
(Oh you’re going to get itnow!)
"Clarke, calm down!"
(Your parents probably thinkyou’re a schizophrenic!)
"GO AWAY AND LEAVE ME ALONE!"
"Ike, it’s okay."
(Yeah right, everything’s goingto be aaallll better in Taylor’s little fairy tale world!)
"NO, STOP GO BACK GO BACK GOAWAY GO AWAY GO AWAY!"
(Don’t you want to talk to me?)
"NO, PLEASE GO AWAY!"
(Didn’t you miss me?)
"NO! YOU’RE NOT ALIVE! YOU’REDEAD! YOU’RE DEAD!"
"That’s it we’re going to thehospital."
(End ofinside Isaac’s mind)
That wasall he remembered, Isaac would be yelling as if someone was talking to himthen before he knew it his parents had dragged him off to the car and tothe hospital.
Suddenlyhe bolted upright and walked towards the door. He had to get out and goaway. He couldn’t stand the sight of oneself so still and unmoving.
Quicklyhe made his way out and settled back down in his car. For a moment he justsat there in the parking lot and thought. All alone with just histhoughts…
His head felt heavy andthick and his eyes were glazed over as if he was desperately trying to stayawake. With a shaky hand he drew the clay pipe to his lips and inhaleddeeply.
Turning his head he saw thatTaylor and Isaac held the same glazed over look.
Taylor was currentlyswallowing some unknown pills, while Isaac drank thirstily from a bottle ofsome imported alcoholic substance he had found in the wine cabinet.
Smiling he took the different array of pills handed to him and swallowed them.
Exquisite pain shot throughout his entire body as the needle of the syringe poked into hisskin.
"Man Zac, take it easy."Isaac slurred drunkenly as he took another swallow of the poison.
He felt surprisingly lightand woozy, his nerves beginning to calm down. This was how it was, afteran extremely stressful show they would all hang out in their hotel room andget drunk and high off drugs to their content.
"Hey guys I got one more bagof this crap left, anyone up for grabs?" Taylor mumbled holding up a smallclear plastic bag with two very familiar drugs inside.
"Oh man Tay, you gotta letme have that." Zac lunged forward to grab the bag.
Reluctantly Taylor droppedthe bag and fell backward onto the floor.
The world seemed dizzy andunclear as Zac fumbled to open the bag, his heartbeat was so slow and hefelt so tired all of the sudden. It was hard to breathe and his visionkept getting foggier and foggier.
Clumsily he pushed the twopills into his mouth and swallowed.
That did it, he tried tostand up as the world around him spun around him.
"Boys what are you doing inthere?" their mother knocked onto their door.
Zac finally fell forward andcrashed into the dresser blacking out.
"Boys, open this door!What’s going on in there?"
Suddenly the voices becamesmaller and smaller and the world around until everything went black and hewent sailing off into some unknown world.
"Oh my god!"
"Oh mygod!"
Zacabruptly pushed his foot down on his brakes as he came about twocentimeters to hitting a very familiar looking car.
(That carwhy does it look so familiar?)
A regularold black car.
(I’veseen it somewhere)
Zaccircled around it and peered inside the windows. The passenger seat had ababy car seat inside. That was when he saw it. Stuck on one of thewindows a sticker.
Perseus andAndromeda
(I and K always and forever)
That waswritten inside a heart.
(What isthat?)
"What is that?"
"You don’t like it?"
"Well, I don’t even know what itis?" Katherine stared at the paper in her hand.
Isaac smiled. "It’s asticker."
"What?"
"It’s a sticker you can put onthe inside of your car window." he explained.
"I still don’t get it."
Taylor rolled his eyes. "UmIke I think you have to explain a little more for her to get it." Taylorsaid from his position sitting on top of the hood of Katherine’s new car.
"It’s a sticker Ike got for youpersonalized." Zac quipped from inside the car, his hands gripping thesteering wheel.
Feeling quite mischievous hepushed the horn.
BONK!
Everybody jumped and Tayloralmost fell off the car. Zac himself totally taken aback by the sudden noise sat back as far as he could in the seat.
"Oh my gosh that scared me."Kathy shook her head.
"All right you two, come on Zacget out of the car." Isaac pulled at his brother’s arm.
"Yeah and you get off the hood,you might make a dent." Kathy pushed Taylor a little.
"AW!" both boys whined.
"I won’t make a dent!" Taylorwhined.
"Yeah I forgot you weigh aboutzero pounds you couldn’t even dent it if your life depended on it!" Zacsaid sarcastically.
"Hey!"
The four burst out into giggles. These were the good old days. No cares in the world. Just abunch of day dream loving kids staring up at the sunshine filled sky.
"No, really remember that storythat Vi_" Isaac began to talk but then stopped.
"Well remember that story aboutall the Greek gods and goddesses?" he explained.
Katherine nodded. "What’sGreek gods and goddesses have to do with some window sticker?" Zac askedblandly.
"Perseus and Andromeda they werelovers in mythological times. Perseus was the son of Zeus and his motherwas a mortal. Perseus was the only man who could solve riddle thatAndromeda told and they got married and lived happily ever after." She said staring into his eyes, a starry, dreamy look held in her face andeyes.
Taylor clapped loudly and Zacpretended to sob hysterically.
"Oh that was so romantic!" hecried.
"Oh yes, bravo! Oh goodnessthat is an Oscar caliber performance!" Taylor said dramatically.
Isaac turned away from Katherine and glared at his younger brothers.
"Kathy, excuse me while I killmy dear younger brothers’." he said calmly and headed towards the two.
Taylor and Zac screamed mockhorror and ran into two different directions and crashed into each other.
"Ouch!" they cried in unison.
Once again the air was filledwith massive giggles and laughter.
"You two are so silly." Kathyrolled her eyes.
"Who silly me?" Zac stood upand pointed at himself in mock horror.
"Haha gee Ike it’s all yourfault you’ve made him a silly loon!" Kathy said sarcastically.
"Oh no! It’s not all my fault!"
"I knowit’s not all your fault." Zac heard from the other side of the door.
How hegot there he didn’t know. Somehow in the midst of being taken back to thepast he had in one way or another wandered into the house and outside theden.
"Wellwhat are you two going to do?" he recognized his mother’s voice.
"I don’tknow, I’ll pay for child support and everything you two will need, but_"Isaac started.
"Butwhat Isaac? Michael needs a father!" Kathy exclaimed.
"So gethim a father!"
"You’rehis father!"
"No, I’msorry but if memory serves me correctly earlier this year I had a littlerun in with you at the park and specifically stated that I was not thefather of your child."
"That’sit." a new voice entered his hearing. His father’s.
"Katherine, Clarke I know that you two haven’t been getting alongthese past few years but look, you have a whole other person to thinkabout. What is going to become of your son?"
Zac’sheart leaped into his throat. The only time his father ever called IsaacClarke was when he was really upset with him.
"Whatdid happen between you two?" a new voice asked.
"Zac,how long have you been standing there?"
Herealized that he had spoken, he was now standing in the room.
"Why didyou break up?" he asked calmly.
The lookon each of their faces was identical. Frozen with fear, the pain clear intheir expression. Ike shook his head in disbelief. "It’s a long story."
Zac satdown on the couch next to his parents. "So I have time."
Two years ago…
Zac walked happily upstairschewing on a fresh piece of banana flavored bubble gum.
"Ike I don’t understand."He stood frozen in his tracks and inched towards his brother’sroom.
"Understand what?" he couldmake out two voices, Isaac and his girlfriend Katherine.
"I don’t understand you." shesaid.
"What?" Zac leaned forwardsuddenly interested. He pressed his ear next to the door and listenedcarefully.
"You, I don’t understand whyyou have to lie." She choked out.
Sighing softly he rolled hiseyes.
Always the same argument thetwo of them had.
"Listen Kathy, I’ve told you amillion times why we have to lie." He said.
Nothing, just silence for a fewminutes. Slightly bored but still entertained Zac blew a small bubble.A splash of yellow against the gray light.
"What? What do you want me todo?" he finally exploded.
Zac jumped a bit and almostfell onto the floor from the sound of his voice.
"You want me to tell them Ihave a girlfriend? Fine but then don’t come running to me went you start getting hate mail and stalkers_"
"STOP IT!" she screamed.
He could tell right away thiswas not one of the every day ‘Ike and Kathy bitch at each other for five minutes then kiss and make up’ fights.
"Listen, it’s okay I would loveto tell the world about us but now isn’t the right time, you won’t believehow many obsessed fans we have out there_" he began before he was cut offby his girlfriend.
"I know, I know you’ve told mea hundred times already!" she exclaimed.
He could hear sniffles comingfrom behind the door. Feeling bit guilty on eavesdropping he put his head down and stared at his shoes.
Bright yellow Doc Martens. Asplash of yellow against his shiny gray pants.
"Listen Kath, I’m sorry okay?Let’s not_"
"Ike, I have to tell yousomething." she blurted out.
"What is it?" he asked icily.
"Ike, well you see the thingis…" she drifted off.
He pressed his ear harderagainst the wood. This was going to be good.
"Just spit it out already!" heexclaimed.
"I can’t, oh just it’s justthat.." she fumbled for the right words.
Zac lazily played with his gum,pulling it out of his mouth and pushing it back in, blowing bubbles.
"What is this about why we haveto lie about having girlfriends? Is it? Because if you want me to tellthat’s fine I’ll do it but don’t blame me if the media houndsus_"
Zac concentrated on blowing abubble. Hopefully when it popped it wouldn’t make a loud noise.
"Ike, I’m pregnant and you’rethe father."
His eyes widened and his yellowbubble popped, strings of sticky yellow gum covering his face.
Total utter silence for a fewminutes. Only silence.
"Isaac, sweetie? Honey saysomething please?" she begged.
"Oh my god." he heard himwhisper.
"How, how far, how manymonths?" he asked stumbling over his words.
"Four months." she finallywhispered hoarsely.
The young boy in the hallwayfelt weak in the stomach. Four months? He didn’t even know that they were-
"What?" Isaac looked up ather.
"Ike, please I only found out afew weeks ago." she said.
Zac felt like he wanted tofaint, or die.
He didn’t know which to feel. How awful for his brother to feel!
Soon he heard loud footestepsfrom inside. Then suddenly they stopped.
"Wait a minute, how do you knowI’m the father!"
"I can’t believe you would evenaccuse me of cheating on you." Kathy sounded shocked.
Zac looked down at the stickyball of yellow gum in his hands and put it in his mouth and chewedthoughtfully. He felt like a kid again. Yeah that’s what he is. A kid.He’s only thirteen after all.
"I’m sorry, it’s just that,this can’t be happening to me, not here, not now!" he babbled.
"Isaac!" she said sharply.
"I didn’t just come here todayto tell you that, that I’m going to have a baby." she said slowly.
"It’s obvious you don’t love meanymore, like you did in the first place." She started to say.
"No, Katherine don’t say it,please.." Zac wondered what Ike didn’t want her to say so badly.
"No, Ike it’s for the best, Iwant to break up." she finally spat out.
Zac swallowed his gum in shock. And the only thing he could think was….
(Great now that stuff is going tofloat around in my system for seven years)
"No!" he screamed and broughtZac’s attention to the present problem.
Slowly he saw that the doorknob was being twisted open.
Quietly he backed away and hidin the shadows next to the door.
"I’m sorry it has to end thisway but it’s for your own good." she said quietly.
(For his own good? What the hellis she talking about? He’s eighteen for crying out loud! And his girlfriend is now dumping him because she’s pregnant with his kid!)
"How the hell is it for my owngood? I’m going to be a father and you want to break up with me!" heheard his brother cry. He turned and saw her fram fill the doorway. Shestepped back just barely missing his foot.
"You’ve made it obvious in thepast few months your reputation is a lot more important than our relationship, so I’m doing this for you goddamn reputation!" she spat out and walked out of the room down the hallway.
Quickly and quietly, Zac crawled on all fours to the end of the hallway as Kathy inched her way outof the room.
"No, Kathy please don’tleave.." he called out to her.
"Don’t worry Ike, I won’t tellanyone you’re the father." she said and twirled around to walk down thestairs.
"Goodbye Ike." she finallysaid and left.
Zac sat there, his breathingcoming out in short gasps. What had just happened?
"No!"
Ike then came charging out ofthe room as Taylor came down the hallway.
"Hey Ike, what’s up with Kathy? She just left here crying." he asked.
"Shut up Taylor." He saidquickly and ran down the stairs.
Taylor stood there a confusedlook on his face and noticed Zac standing in front of him.
"What died and crawled up hisass?" he asked.
Zac shrugged. "Who knows?"he forced a smile and walked away and down the stairs.
He came downstairs to findIsaac slamming the door closed, a scowl on his face and tears in his eyes.
"What’s wrong?" he askedinnocently.
Isaac looked at his brother andsniffed.
"She dumped me, can you believe it?"
"I can’t believe it!"
"Icannot believe how you would blame this all on them!" hefumed.
"What?"Isaac looked surprised.
"Them,Chris, Ashley, Mercury, Triune, everybody!" he rattled off the names andpaced back and forth like a mad man.
"Youcan’t just go around blaming everybody who’s helped us just because one badthing goes wrong in your life." he said slowly.
Zac couldfeel everybody’s stare penetrating his skull as he stepped forward.
"We’rethe ones who made the decision to lie about girlfriends, we’re the ones whoagreed to do all the promotional gigs, it’s our fault."
A look ofconfusion crossed over his face.
"Theyweren’t the ones who made Kathy pregnant, they weren’t the ones that causedyou two to break up, they aren’t the ones who landed Taylor in a drugrehab, they aren’t the ones who put me in a hospital, they aren’t the onesthat made you a father and put you in this position."
Theentire room was silent. "Zac, maybe we should_" his mother gently pulledat his arm.
"No." aclear and punctual statement.
"We can’tjust go around blaming fame for making us who we are because you know whatIke? It’s us. Taylor did drugs because he felt that he needed too, nobodytold him too. You and Kathy broke up because that was your desicion, welied about things because we wanted too. So don’t go around blaming fameand other people in our lives for what’s happened because it’s you. It’sus, we’re the ones to blame for our own goddamn problems!" he continuedtears welling up in his eyes.
"We’rethe ones who made ourselves a bunch of puppets."
Isaac’sface paled the moment those words escaped his brother’s lips.
"Puppets," he whispered.
Zacexpected his brother to have a breakdown but instead he only stood therestaring into his eyes, a cold look set in.
Thenslowly he turned around and walked away.
"Zac,where are you going?" Diana called.
"Back tothe hospital, I’ll be home before dinner." He called and shut the door.
Theentire room was silent.
"I’mworried about him." Diana finally spoke.
Everybodyturned to look at her. "Walk, he spends every single day at the hospital,I don’t think it’s healthy for a sixteen year old boy to be there everyday."
"Wellthen why didn’t you stop him?" he asked.
"What?"
"Youheard me mom, why didn’t you stop him? If you think it’s so damn unhealthywhy didn’t you stop him?" he could feel his anger rising with each word ashe clenched his fists.
"Isaac,now is not the time and place to_" Katherine started.
Isaacturned to her and stood up. "You know what Kathy? You’re right now isn’tthe time or place to be talking at all about such things whether it beabout the girl in the hospital across town stuck in a cacatonic state orwhether it be about my relationship with you and that little boy you callyour son so if you would please leave me alone because I need to be alonenow and if we can resume this conversation later." He said icily.
Everybodywas speechless. Finally she rose. "I’m sorry I bothered you then,goodbye I’ll call you later." And left.
Onceagain the room fell in hushed silence. Isaac sat down his head in hishands.
Hisparents sitting on either side of him. "Ike, I know this is hard but_"his father began to say.
"Couldyou please just leave me alone?" he asked quietly.
Walkerclosed his mouth. "Sure." he patted him on his back and stood up toleave.
"Honeyare you sure you don’t want to talk this over?" Diana urged.
Walkerwent over and gently pulled her arm. "Diana, come on dear we need to leavehim alone." He said gently.
The twoexchanged a look that clearly read ‘Our son is all grown up now and cansolve his own problems’.
"Remember son_"
"Yeah Iknow, thanks mom, dad." He cut him off.
Everything was so gray in his life. Nothing was going right. Thiswas all a big nightmare. Or at least he had convinced himself it was.No colors ever entered his life any more. All gray and fading nothing good ever came anymore. Not even the music. The music. What had happened tothe music?
"Ouch!"
"What’s wrong?"
Isaac held up his now brokenguitar string. "My guitar string snapped and hit me!"
Zac shook his head in disbelief.
"You can never trust anything these days." He said wisely.
Taylor and Isaac exchangedglances. "Okay whatever Zaccy." Taylor said.
"Oh well anyway we have topractice, the Paris concert is in a few weeks!"
A look of excietment spreadacross their faces. "I know, I am so excited, finally our own tour!" Zacbubbled as he twirled his drumsticks.
"Yeah, too bad it couldn’thave been longer." Taylor added.
Isaac sighed. "Yeah butChristopher said that we might be able to add more dates later on dependingon the budget." He said as he fixed on a new guitar string.
"That would be cool!" Zac wasall smiles now.
"Yeah that would be cool, nowlet’s get on with Gimme Some Lovin’!" Taylor said and the three rocked outto the very first song in the show.
Thosewere the good ole’ days when all that mattered was playing music and havinga good time. What had happened? He wondered about that every day.
They hadgrown up. It was no longer a dream they all went after as children. Itwas reality.
It hadstarted out as just him and his brothers’. Three crazy kids going after adream.
Then life went a huge U turn. A continuous routinewhich followed as eat, sleep, play music, eat, play more music, and sleep.And life became of game. And that game ripped their entire life apart.
Playwith fame and suffer the consequences.
Suddenlyhe knew what he had to do. Sighing he stood up and ran a hand through hishair. Taking a deep breath he picked up the phone and dialed a familiarnumber.
Zac hadarrived at the hospital feeling rather calm and content despite thesomewhat ugly encounter with his brother. He had finally spoken his mind.
Told himhow he really felt.
Funny howit was. They used to be so close. Then somehow they grew apart. Lessand less they hung out with each other except when they were making music.
But thatwas how life was. It could be gray and cold and ugly with the occasionalsplash of color.
Smilinghe waltzed into the dreary room. And someone else was in there with her.
"Tay,what are you doing here?"
Taylorturned around and stared at his brother. "Am I not allowed here?" heasked harshly.
Zacstiffened. He remembered how Taylor had put the blame on himself becausesomehow he had brought himself to believe that she had almost died becauseof the words he had said.
I swear one day she's going towalk out on us and get herself hit by a car or something!
Zacshook his head at that memory. They had been getting high off drugs thatTaylor had given him and then the next thing they knew it, one bloodsplattered body was lying on the street.
But whenhe gazed into his eyes he thought he saw the same person he had known hisentire life. He would never be the same again but he was still Taylor, hewas still his brother.
"No,it’s just that I haven’t seen you in awhile and, well_" he drifted off.
Taylorlooked at him a look of understanding in his eyes. "I know,"
And sofor a few moments they stood there in awkward silence.
(Oh boyit’s almost like meeting him for the first time eh?)
Bothboy’s heads shot up.
(Ah sonow I’ve got your attention!)
"Did youhear that?" Taylor asked.
(Wow sothe teenies haven’t damaged your hearing yet!)
Zac’seyes widened. "What’s happening?" he asked in a panicky voice.
(Justremember what goes around must come around)
The colordrained from both their faces and slowly they both turned around to whereshe was sitting.
She wassitting in her chair, blinking her eyes rapidly.
"Ohmygodget a doctor!"
Slowlyshe opened her mouth, her breath coming out in short gasps.
"Oh mygod Vivian? Are you okay?" Zac clutched her arm as she slowly began tostand up.
Doctorsand nurses filled the room and surrounded her blocking Zac out from herview.
The nextfew minutes went by in a blur. Looking back to this particular day all hecan remember is a bunch of doctors crowding her so he couldn’t see her andwhen they finally backed away all he could see was her lying on the floor,her eyes shut looking very much like a rag doll.
All hecould remember was the sight of a gray sheet being pulled over yellownightgown and the sound of his own voice..
"NO!SHE’S NOT DEAD!"
The boystood cold and frozen in time, watching his entire life go by in aninstant. This time it wasn’t his entire life. It was her life. A lifeshe never really had a chance to live.
He sat insilence as he listened to the minister drone on the usual stuff. His eyeswere glued to the open casket in front of him. Tear began to well up inhis eyes blurring his vision.
He turnedhis head to the side and looked at everybody. Next to him Taylor sat asstill as stone, tears slowly falling down his face. Isaac sat on the otherside of him, a waterfall running down his face.
Rain falling down outta my eyesand I’m wondering why you had to say goodbye and leave me baby, all alone in my life…
Slowly hewatched as Isaac stood up and walked over to the open casket.
As I look back when you werearound and we were together..
They hadbeen best friends since childhood. The had been two peas in a pod. Shehad been everything to him.
Heleaned down and kissed her cold pale cheek. A few tears splattered on heryellow dress.
We didn’t care about theweather cause baby we were together…
Hewatched through blurry eyes as she was lowered into the coffin.
And now that you’re gone I haveto say the rain’s falling down each and everyday outta my eyes and I’m wondering why…
Outsidethey watched as a hole was dug in the ground to where she would lay. Noone uttered a word as the shiny gray casket was lowered into the ground.
Perhaps if you were here, theweather wouldn't seem as bad….But since you've been gone, I've been so verysad..
One byone each of the family walked by and dropped a red rose down onto hercasket.
Well it's cold outside, andit's not summer anymore…So I have to go inside, and shut thedoor…
LastlyZac stopped above the grave and sighed. "I’m sorry." he whispered beforedropping a yellow rose onto the grave. A splash of yellow against gray.
Rain falling down, out of myeyes and I'm wondering why….
He felt ahand on his shoulder and turned to meet his brother’s eyes. Together thethree of them walked up the pathway and to the car.
Rain falling down outta myeyes, baby, and I'm wondering why…. Rain, falling down, outta my eyesbaby..
As hewatched the scenery change from inside the car he remember something MarkHudson had told them so long ago when they were just three crazy kids goingafter a dream.
Support each other, love eachother and never forget why you got into this, and be there for each other.The best thing for you guys is to have each other…
Zacsmiled. Everything was going to be okay. He knew that everything wasgoing to be okay.
As thevan pulled up in the driveway he saw two familiar people standing therewaiting for them.
Katherineand Michael stood side by side as the family piled out of the van. Isaacstepped out and faced her. Slowly he reached his hand to her outstretchedone.
Heheaved a sigh of relief. Finally it was over. The raining had stopped.And in the end they all won the game that never existed.
Zacsmiled and looked up at the sky. The sun was peeking out from grayclouds. A splash of yellow on gray.
(Musiccredits: Rain, by Hanson)