Snippet: Second Best

Season's greetings!

After a brief meeting last weekend with a Facebook follower who wondered about the status of the book I wrote over a year ago titled Second Best, I knew I had to do something. Thus, I've decided to offer you all a sneak peek into my very first novel.

I have to thank Diane for asking me about my book and all of you for your support and patience. I also welcome constructive criticism and/or comments that can be messaged to me via Twitter or Facebook.

Here is the epilogue of "Second Best"...

She pulled up to the front of the building. The sign read Greenwood Funeral Home and she shuddered at the thought of her location. She didn’t want to think of him like this; she didn’t want to see him like this, but she knew it would do her some good. She wondered how much he had changed since the last time she saw him, but as she closed her eyes to gain a sense of calmness everything flooded her mind. Her thoughts went back to the first time they met at the student café, to the time he brought her home for Easter weekend, and finally to the last time she saw him. He looked good back then, so what had happened that brought them both here? Was it an accident of misfortune? Or had God marked the end of a life to pull them back where they really belonged...together. She killed the car engine, pulled the key from the ignition, and stepped out of the car.

Her ancient Honda Civic stood out among the Lexus SUVs and Range Rovers, but at the moment her black stiletto heels hit the pavement a middle-aged woman made her way to the car. The woman stood tall in her knee-length black dress but her countenance seemed to be solemn and ragged. Her eyes appeared bloodshot--as if all the tears had been squeezed out and her tear ducts were empty. But the closer she got to the car, she painted on a half-smile and stood at the door of the Civic.

“Thank you so much for coming, Sarah,” she said. “I know Bryan wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Before Sarah could say a word, the woman hugged her in a tight embrace. Sarah began to slowly feel a dampening on her shoulder where the woman began to cry again and as she felt the tears roll, Sarah held her as if to say everything would eventually be alright. As she pulled back, Sarah felt a tear roll down her cheek.

“Mrs. Sawyer,” she sniffled, “I’m sorry...I mean Maude...I can’t think of anywhere else I should be besides here.” She wiped away the tear that was falling. “Is there anything I can do for you to help you out?”

“Oh no, dear. I think it would be best if you just went ahead and saw Bryan.”

Maude took Sarah by the hand and they made their way up the steps to the front of the funeral home door. An usher in a faded grey suit held the door for them and as soon as they made their way inside, Maude disappeared into the crowd of people that packed the tiny hallway. A quiet murmur whispered among the crowd with sounds of sniffles and soft laughter mingled in. Sarah scanned the room to see if she recognized anyone from school. No one seemed familiar to her. Maybe they were already there in the midst of the crowd or maybe no one knew. Perhaps they did know but just weren’t there. The life of a late twenty-something was either scheduled around a family or career or even both. An unexpected death and funeral were hard to cram into a daily and set routine. But, she thought, even twenty-somethings know something about priorities, and true friends would make it a point to be at the funeral of someone they cared about. Nonetheless, Sarah didn’t recognize anyone and purposefully stayed in the corner of the lobby.

All she wanted to do was stop thinking. But at the very instant her thoughts came to a halt, her ears perked up at the song that came from the speakers in the ceiling. She knew the song well; she was the one to introduce the song to Bryan the first weekend he left college. With her. She felt a tinge of jealousy rise up within her which immediately turned to regret. The last thing she wanted to feel at a funeral was jealousy. It was bad enough that past memories would bubble up to the surface today, but to add jealousy to that mix would be problematic.

The jealousy, however, surprised Sarah. It had been six years since she first met Bryan and two years since the last time she saw him. But during the span of those six years, Sarah had fallen head over heels for Bryan. His brown eyes with flecks of green made Sarah go weak to the point that she would divulge anything to him. Anytime she was having a rough day, one look into his eyes and her rough exterior would break into thousands of pieces. She would tell him her problems, but Bryan was different. While most guys at that age would just listen, Bryan would make Sarah sort through her problems. As a psychology major, he knew that the worst thing she could do was bottle up her emotions or put her problems on the back burner, or else everything would build up and eventually spew out into an emotional mess. What he didn’t know, however, was that was the exact thing she was doing with her feelings toward him. And it wasn’t just the way he looked at her. It was the way he was there for her, the way he made her laugh, even the way she felt again him when they hugged. God, she missed that feeling. And sadly enough, she knew that she would never feel that way again.

The music died down and the crowd in the hallway bustled their way into the chapel. Sarah waited for the crowd to dwindle and waited until most everyone found their seats. She was always one to never want attention, so she sat in the very last row on the aisle. Not only would she not be very visible, but it also proved to be a quick and easy exit for when the service ended. She would go unnoticed, head back home, and never see Bryan again.

Just as the minister asked the congregation to rise, Sarah felt a warm hand on her shoulder. The cologne had a familiar smell and instantly her mind went back to her college years.

“Sarah?” the familiar voice whispered. “I want you to sit up at the front with me.”

She turned around and she looked up to a pair of brown-green eyes. It was Bryan.

Copyright © 2010 Belinda Serrano
All rights reserved.