The Resurrection of Aubrey Miller(67)

“Quinn?”
She bounces up and down a couple of times, excitement overwhelming her until she finally takes flight and runs into my arms, crushing me with her embrace.
I stumble back, bounding off my heels and catching her mid-motion, finally righting our bodies and squeezing her as tightly as my arms will allow. And—I kid you not—we bounce on our tiptoes in a complete circle as we squeal and giggle until the revolution is complete. When it’s done, we each take a step backward, maintaining our hold on each other’s forearms as we survey the changes in appearance.
Quinn’s hair is still impeccable, its long blonde strands wrapped tightly into a bun at the top of her head. Her body is healthy and her skin is glowing. The weight she’s gained has filled out her beautiful face, making her even more gorgeous than before as her green eyes shine with pure happiness. They’re no longer tinged with her hidden pain. They’re bright, joyful, and full of life. Her dress is also simple, a black maxi-dress with tiny straps at the top, her body covered in a sheer layer of fabric that dances along the floor with her movements.
“Quinn, you look…”
“Wow, Aubrey, you look…”
As we break out into laughter, my heart fills to the brim with joy. I tear my stare from Quinn and look to Kaeleb who’s smiling ear-to-ear as he watches our interaction. The fact that we’re all here, together, makes my chest feel like it’s going to explode.
I mouth the words thank you and he simply dips his chin in return.
Redirecting my attention to Quinn, I ask, “How did you get here? I mean, I know your parents have been pretty overbearing lately.”
She throws her head back in laughter. “Yeah, you could say that, but Mr. McMadden here charmed the pants off my mother.”
My eyes grow wide as I slowly turn my head back in his direction, sending his hands flying up in his defense. “Hey! That was purely metaphorical.” Throwing a wink at me, he adds, “Ninja charm.”
“Oh. My. God. Get over yourself,” I say, rolling my eyes into the back of my head. Kaeleb laughs outright and Quinn, of course, makes a pitiful attempt to shield her giggle.
God, I’ve missed my friends.
Our reunion is short-lived, cut off by the fact that we need to get to the church. Once in Kaeleb’s car, my body is twisted in the passenger seat, practically hanging on Quinn’s every word as we catch up.
“What’s going on with that surfer dude? Tommy?” I ask, my facing breaking into a grin with Quinn’s love-struck smile. I immediately notice the difference between the one I saw with Josh and her newfound love. The previous one never quite reached her eyes and was wrought with insecurity, but this one is full and beaming, as her eyes light up with the confidence that she’s gained since I last saw her.
“He’s definitely not a surfer,” she responds with laughter. “He’s just, gaaaaaah! You know?”
I giggle at her lack of explanation because as I look to Kaeleb, with his own smile spreading across his face while he drives, I know exactly what she means. Sometimes it’s impossible for mere words to encompass how you really feel about someone. There’s nothing you could ever possibly say to adequately emulate the effect of that person’s presence in your life. It’s an overwhelming, indescribable feeling that consumes your heart and captivates your soul.
It simply just is.
Feeling my stare, Kaeleb tears his eyes off the road and they drift briefly to mine. He lifts his hand to stroke my cheek with his knuckles, offering me a simple, knowing smile. Our eyes catch, and although no words are spoken, so much is being said.
Five minutes later, we pull into the parking lot of the church only for my nerves to begin racing as I see people gathering by the front entrance.
Quinn hops out of the car as I remain, once again, firmly planted in my seat. My foot is tapping nervously on the floorboard as I wring my hands in my lap. I continue doing so until Kaeleb eventually covers them with his own, forcing me to look at him as I nibble my bottom lip.
“You’re going to do fine.”
I inhale deeply. “You think?”
“I know,” he responds quickly with a wink.
“Okay,” I release the breath. “Let’s get this over with.”
Quinn knocks on my window and opens the door. I reluctantly slide out of my seat, linking one of my hands with hers and the other through Kaeleb’s offered arm. Their presence fortifies me as we enter the church together.
Through the entire service, I focus on the framed portrait beside Linda’s casket, remembering her beauty and the life that she so willingly gave to me when she took me in. The true definition of unconditional love can be found in her smile as she stares back at me. Sniffles fill the air, and a few tears of my own course down my cheeks, but I find comfort in knowing that she’s no longer suffering. Knowing that wherever she may be right now, that she’s alive and happy and no longer in pain, soothes the ache in my chest.
When silence falls all around me, I know that my time to speak has arrived. Releasing the hands of both Kaeleb and Quinn, I stand and make my way to the podium. My fingers tremble as I pull out my speech and set it just under the microphone, finally gathering the courage to make eye contact with the crowd. My eyes drift over their faces. Some people I don’t know, some people I do, but one person catches my eye and gives me the push I need to speak.
Nervously smiling back at Palmer, sitting in the back row, I give him my thanks with a nod of my head before clearing my throat to begin.
“Um…I know the majority of you are surprised to see me up here. I’m sure some of you didn’t even know I could speak.” A collective laugh fills the air, further spurring my confidence. “My name is Aubrey Miller.” I glance to Kaeleb before looking back down at the paper in front of me. “For those of you who don’t know, Linda Walker was my legal guardian. She took me in at eight years old, after my parents passed away, and has been the one prominent figure in my life ever since. She was my mother, my sister, my friend, and my teacher. Her love was unyielding and her strength was admirable. Accepting me into her world, taking sole responsibility for me…well, she sacrificed a lot. I was her life from that point on, plain and simple. There was never a moment that I didn’t know how much I was loved or the extent to which I was cherished, as she often conveyed the endless depths of her caring, no matter how difficult I made it for her to express those emotions.”