{"id":10473,"date":"2026-10-25T21:06:26","date_gmt":"2026-10-25T21:06:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/?p=10473"},"modified":"2026-10-25T21:06:26","modified_gmt":"2026-10-25T21:06:26","slug":"part-2-228","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/?p=10473","title":{"rendered":"Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of Daniel\u2019s brothers muttered, \u201cWhat on earth is he doing?\u201d<\/strong><\/h1>\n

My first thought was that Theo was trying to attract attention.<\/p>\n

Then I wondered whether something had happened between the boys before Jack passed away.<\/p>\n

Had they argued?<\/p>\n

Was this some strange attempt to make a statement?<\/p>\n

I leaned toward two of Jack\u2019s school friends.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid something happen between Theo and Jack?\u201d<\/p>\n

They immediately shook their heads.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Mrs. Harris. Nothing like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Theo sat quietly near the aisle, his hands clasped so tightly that his knuckles were pale.<\/p>\n

Daniel noticed him a few minutes later.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy is he wearing that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d I whispered.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is our son\u2019s funeral.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Daniel started to rise.<\/p>\n

I caught his sleeve.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease, wait.\u201d<\/p>\n

Grief had left us exhausted, frightened, and painfully sensitive to anything unexpected.<\/p>\n

We\u2019d barely slept properly in more than two weeks.<\/p>\n

And seeing Theo dressed so differently from everyone else felt like one more thing we couldn\u2019t understand.<\/p>\n

Then the officiant announced that Theo would deliver a tribute.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d almost forgotten he\u2019d agreed to speak.<\/p>\n

He stood and walked toward the microphone.<\/p>\n

Every eye followed him.<\/p>\n

When he finally began, his voice was barely steady.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout six months ago, Jack and I were watching a terrible movie in his bedroom.\u201d<\/p>\n

A faint smile crossed his face.<\/p>\n

\u201cJack insisted it was a masterpiece. It definitely wasn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

A few of his classmates chuckled.<\/p>\n

Theo continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019d just come home from another medical appointment. His parents weren\u2019t there yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

I remembered that afternoon.<\/p>\n

The test results hadn\u2019t been encouraging.<\/p>\n

The doctors were discussing additional treatment options, and Daniel and I were struggling to remain optimistic.<\/p>\n

Theo looked down at his hands.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat day, Jack asked whether I\u2019d speak at his funeral.\u201d<\/p>\n

I stopped breathing for a moment.<\/p>\n

Daniel slowly sat back down.<\/p>\n

Theo gave a shaky laugh.<\/p>\n

\u201cI told him to stop talking like that. I was angry that he was even thinking about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

His eyes filled with tears.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen I said, \u2018Sure, Jack. I\u2019ll give a speech at your funeral if you promise to show up at mine wearing a dress.’\u201d<\/p>\n

A few people smiled.<\/p>\n

But I already sensed where the story was going.<\/p>\n

Theo looked toward the coffin.<\/p>\n

\u201cJack laughed and said, \u2018Deal. But that means you have to wear one to mine.’\u201d<\/p>\n

He glanced down at the red fabric.<\/p>\n

\u201cI told him there was absolutely no chance.\u201d<\/strong><\/h1>\n

His lips trembled.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen he said it had to be red.\u201d<\/p>\n

A few guests looked at one another.<\/p>\n

Theo tried to smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said black made me look like a funeral director, and he refused to have me standing around looking that miserable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Someone laughed softly through their tears.<\/p>\n

That sounded exactly like my son.<\/p>\n

Theo paused to steady himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cI kept telling him he was going to recover. I said there wouldn\u2019t be any funeral.\u201d<\/p>\n

His voice broke.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said he hoped I was right.\u201d<\/p>\n

The entire chapel became silent.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut then he asked me to promise anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n

My hands began trembling.<\/p>\n

Jack had never told Daniel or me about that conversation.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d continued discussing college, traveling, and everything he wanted to do once his treatments were finished.<\/p>\n

We\u2019d clung to those plans because imagining the alternative was unbearable.<\/p>\n

Yet six months before he died, he\u2019d quietly asked his best friend to prepare for something none of us wanted to face.<\/p>\n

Theo wiped his cheeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought refusing would make him feel more frightened. So I promised.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then he reached into the pocket of his dress.<\/p>\n

Despite everything, I almost smiled.<\/p>\n

Jack would have loved the fact that the dress had pockets.<\/p>\n

Theo unfolded a small piece of paper.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I know some of you might think I\u2019m making this up. But Jack wrote it down.\u201d<\/p>\n

My head lifted immediately.<\/p>\n

Theo looked toward me.<\/p>\n

\u201cMrs. Harris, I\u2019m sorry I didn\u2019t tell you about this before today. I wanted to, but I didn\u2019t know how.\u201d<\/p>\n

He began reading.<\/p>\n

\u201cTheo, if you\u2019re reading this because I didn\u2019t make it, that\u2019s pretty embarrassing for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

A ripple of laughter moved through the chapel.<\/p>\n

Even through my grief, I recognized Jack\u2019s unmistakable humor.<\/p>\n

Theo continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst, you promised. Red dress. And don\u2019t change your mind just because some of my relatives are going to judge you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Daniel made a sound somewhere between laughter and crying.<\/p>\n

A few people glanced toward his brother.<\/p>\n

Then Theo read the final instruction.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd don\u2019t start breaking promises just because I\u2019m not around to remind you.\u201d<\/p>\n

He lowered the paper.<\/p>\n

\u201cI nearly didn\u2019t come today.\u201d<\/p>\n

His voice became quiet.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy dad told me people would misunderstand. My mom thought it would upset everyone. My sister said it was a ridiculous idea.\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked down at the dress.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut she lent it to me anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n

A young woman near the back of the chapel covered her mouth.<\/p>\n

Theo\u2019s sister.<\/p>\n

Then he looked directly at Daniel and me.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t trying to disrespect Jack. I was just trying to keep the promise I made him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tears rolled down his cheeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never wanted to make this day harder for you.\u201d<\/strong><\/h1>\n

That was when I couldn\u2019t remain seated any longer.<\/p>\n

Just minutes earlier, I\u2019d been thinking about asking Theo to leave.<\/p>\n

Now I realized he\u2019d been sitting quietly among us, terrified that honoring his friend\u2019s final request might hurt the people he loved.<\/p>\n

I stood and walked toward the podium.<\/p>\n

Theo froze.<\/p>\n

For a second, he seemed to think I was coming to stop his speech.<\/p>\n

Instead, I wrapped my arms around him.<\/p>\n

He was taller than me now.<\/p>\n

I remembered the little boy who\u2019d once arrived at our house with missing front teeth and muddy sneakers.<\/p>\n

Now he bent toward me and began sobbing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n

I held him tighter.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have nothing to apologize for.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI should have explained.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re explaining now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t want to upset you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou haven\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

I gently touched his shoulder.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease finish, Theo. Tell us what Jack wanted everyone to hear.\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded.<\/p>\n

I returned to my seat beside Daniel, who was openly crying.<\/p>\n

Theo adjusted the microphone again.<\/p>\n

\u201cActually, I prepared a proper eulogy,\u201d he admitted.<\/p>\n

He lifted several pages.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeven pages.\u201d<\/p>\n

Someone among Jack\u2019s classmates called out, \u201cSeriously, Theo?\u201d<\/p>\n

Theo laughed.<\/p>\n

\u201cExactly. Jack would\u2019ve complained before I finished the first one.\u201d<\/p>\n

He placed the pages aside.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I\u2019m not reading them.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Instead, he began sharing memories.<\/p>\n

He described the afternoon when the boys accidentally broke our garage window with a hockey puck.<\/p>\n

They spent hours inventing explanations before deciding to blame a bird.<\/p>\n

Daniel had asked what sort of bird could possibly carry a hockey puck.<\/p>\n

Jack answered, \u201cA very strong one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Laughter filled the chapel.<\/p>\n

Theo recalled how Jack regularly invented his own Monopoly rules and insisted cheating was impossible because the bank supposedly had insurance.<\/p>\n

He remembered their first year of high school, when Theo became overwhelmed and hid in a bathroom stall.<\/p>\n

Jack sat outside the door, pretending they were deliberately skipping class, until Theo felt ready to return.<\/p>\n

Then Theo\u2019s expression softened.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Jack became sick, everyone started telling him how brave he was.\u201d<\/p>\n

He paused.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, he hated that.\u201d<\/p>\n

I smiled through my tears.<\/p>\n

Jack had once complained that being sick didn\u2019t automatically make him courageous.<\/p>\n

Theo continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said cancer wasn\u2019t something he\u2019d chosen. It was something happening to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

His fingers tightened around the podium.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I think Jack was brave in a different way.\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked toward Daniel and me.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe understood that his treatments might not work before most of us were ready to accept that possibility.\u201d<\/strong><\/h1>\n

My eyes filled again.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd even while he was frightened, he kept trying to make everyone around him feel less afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n

Theo gently touched the red dress.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis wasn\u2019t just Jack teasing me.\u201d<\/p>\n

He smiled faintly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, maybe it was partly that.\u201d<\/p>\n

A few people laughed.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I think he also wanted to make one last choice for himself.\u201d<\/p>\n

The words struck me deeply.<\/p>\n

During his illness, Jack had lost control over so many ordinary things.<\/p>\n

School.<\/p>\n

His appearance.<\/p>\n

His appetite.<\/p>\n

His independence.<\/p>\n

Even the plans he\u2019d made for his future.<\/p>\n

But he\u2019d chosen this strange, unforgettable moment.<\/p>\n

A red dress.<\/p>\n

A ridiculous promise.<\/p>\n

A joke that would finally make sense months later.<\/p>\n

Theo looked toward the coffin one last time.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo this is for you, Jack.\u201d<\/p>\n

He glanced down at himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd for the record, I absolutely hate wearing this thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

His sister called from the back.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou look wonderful!\u201d<\/p>\n

The chapel erupted in laughter.<\/p>\n

Even Daniel and I couldn\u2019t help smiling.<\/p>\n

Theo shook his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, Emma.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then he faced Jack\u2019s coffin.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou win, buddy.\u201d<\/p>\n

And stepped away from the microphone.<\/p>\n

After the service, people approached Theo one after another.<\/p>\n

Some hugged him.<\/p>\n

Others told him how much Jack would have loved the tribute.<\/p>\n

Daniel\u2019s brother approached first, looking uncomfortable.<\/p>\n

\u201cTheo, I owe you an apology.\u201d<\/p>\n

Theo frowned.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI judged you the moment you walked into the chapel. I didn\u2019t even give you a chance to explain.\u201d<\/p>\n

Theo shrugged.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s okay.\u201d<\/p>\n

His uncle shook his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, it wasn\u2019t. I\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then he offered his hand.<\/p>\n

Theo shook it.<\/p>\n

An elderly aunt later told him she still didn\u2019t understand why young people did half the things they did, but she thought his speech had been beautiful.<\/p>\n

Theo smiled.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, that\u2019s fair.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the first time that day, he looked almost like the cheerful boy I\u2019d known for years.<\/p>\n

Later, after most guests had moved to the reception hall, I found Theo standing beside the photographs we\u2019d displayed of Jack.<\/p>\n

One showed the boys at eight years old, covered in mud and grinning mischievously.<\/p>\n

Theo studied it quietly.<\/p>\n

Then he spoke.<\/p>\n

\u201cMrs. Harris, there\u2019s something else you should know.\u201d<\/strong><\/h1>\n

I turned toward him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJack didn\u2019t want you to know that he sometimes thought he might die.\u201d<\/p>\n

My throat tightened.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause he knew you and Mr. Harris needed hope.\u201d<\/p>\n

I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was the one going through all of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know. I told him that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n

Theo smiled sadly.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said, \u2018Yeah, but Mom worries about everything.’\u201d<\/p>\n

I laughed through my tears.<\/p>\n

That sounded like Jack.<\/p>\n

Theo continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe wasn\u2019t pretending to believe he could get better. He genuinely wanted college, traveling, and all the things he\u2019d always planned.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then he paused.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe just understood there was a chance those things might not happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

I looked at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWas he frightened?\u201d<\/p>\n

Theo hesitated.<\/p>\n

Then nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n

I began crying again.<\/p>\n

He gently put an arm around my shoulders.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut not every day,\u201d he added. \u201cThere were plenty of days when he was happy. He still laughed. He still made plans.\u201d<\/p>\n

That mattered more than he could have known.<\/p>\n

Jack hadn\u2019t spent his final months simply waiting for the worst.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d experienced hope and fear together.<\/p>\n

And somehow, he\u2019d made room for both.<\/p>\n

For a long time afterward, people remembered the red dress Theo wore to my son\u2019s funeral.<\/p>\n

At first, that bothered me.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t want Jack\u2019s life reduced to an unusual story about his best friend.<\/p>\n

But eventually, I understood.<\/p>\n

The dress wasn\u2019t really about Theo.<\/p>\n

It was evidence that even during the hardest months of his life, Jack had remained himself.<\/p>\n

Funny.<\/p>\n

Sarcastic.<\/p>\n

Stubborn.<\/p>\n

Thoughtful.<\/p>\n

And always ready with one more ridiculous joke.<\/p>\n

Theo tried returning the dress to his sister the following day.<\/p>\n

She refused.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbsolutely not. That dress has funeral memories attached to it now.\u201d<\/p>\n

So he kept it.<\/p>\n

Years passed.<\/p>\n

Theo is twenty-three now.<\/p>\n

Last spring, Daniel and I attended his college graduation.<\/p>\n

We sat beside his mother, watching him cross the stage in his cap and gown.<\/p>\n

Afterward, he hurried toward us and wrapped us both in a hug.<\/p>\n

Then he leaned close and whispered, \u201cI almost wore red today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Daniel smiled.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t even think about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Theo laughed.<\/p>\n

For graduation, we gave him something that had belonged to Jack.<\/p>\n

An ordinary black wristwatch.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t expensive, but Jack had worn it almost every day before his illness.<\/p>\n

Theo stared at it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t accept this.\u201d<\/p>\n

I gently closed his fingers around it.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u201cYes, you can. Jack would want you to have it.\u201d<\/p>\n

He cried.<\/p>\n

So did I.<\/p>\n

Those moments happen less often now.<\/p>\n

But grief doesn\u2019t disappear.<\/p>\n

It changes.<\/p>\n

Sometimes Jack feels impossibly far away.<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Then I hear someone repeat one of his jokes, and suddenly it feels as though he\u2019s standing beside me again.<\/p>\n

I still think about the morning Theo entered the chapel.<\/p>\n

The whispers.<\/p>\n

The uncomfortable looks.<\/p>\n

Daniel starting to stand.<\/p>\n

My own immediate judgment.<\/p>\n

For several minutes, nearly every adult in that room believed we understood what we were seeing.<\/p>\n

But we hadn\u2019t asked a single question.<\/p>\n

We saw a young man in a red dress and invented explanations before giving him the opportunity to share his own.<\/p>\n

Jack had known that might happen.<\/p>\n

In fact, he\u2019d predicted it.<\/p>\n

There was one final line in his handwritten note that Theo hadn\u2019t read during the funeral.<\/p>\n

He showed it to me much later.<\/p>\n

Beneath the instructions about wearing red, Jack had written:<\/p>\n

\u201cIf Mom looks angry, give her a little time. She\u2019s actually pretty nice once she knows the whole story.\u201d<\/p>\n

I stared at those words for a long moment.<\/p>\n

Then I looked at Theo.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy son gave me far too much credit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Theo smiled.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Mrs. Harris. He knew you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perhaps he did.<\/p>\n

And perhaps that\u2019s the memory I hold closest now.<\/p>\n

Not the dress.<\/p>\n

Not the people whispering.<\/p>\n

Not even the speech itself.<\/p>\n

But the fact that, while facing the most frightening uncertainty of his young life, Jack still believed that people could become more understanding when they learned the truth.<\/p>\n

That day, Theo helped all of us become a little kinder than our first reactions.<\/p>\n

And every time I think about that bright red dress, I remember the extraordinary friendship behind it\u2014and the son whose humor and love never disappeared, even during his hardest days.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of Daniel\u2019s brothers muttered, \u201cWhat on earth is he doing?\u201d My first thought was that Theo was trying to attract attention. 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