The red-head leaned over slowly as she came to kneel in front of the grave. She passed her hand over the picture on the marble tombstone, made specially for his memory. They never found his body, but the gunshot and the blood on the floor said it all. This was his memorial.
"Why did you have to leave?" she said quietly. "Things were so perfect. Mom and Dad were working out their problems, we were living a normal life. But then you had to go and leave. You ruined everything. Why?! Why did you have to be so proud?! Why coudln't you have just called for help?! You were ten years old! Ten!!! Why? Why?" She leaned over the mound in front of the grave, trying not to burst out in tears. She heard someone call her.
"Jesse? Come on, Ponchita. We need to leave before you make me cry. I know you miss him, honey, I do too. But we can't live in the past. He's not coming back. There's no way to get passed it. I'm sorry." Jesse shook her head.
"I know, Dad. I can't help it. Gimme a little bit longer, k?"
"All right, sweety. I'll be over by the car waiting for you."
"Thanks, Dad." Jesse smoothed her hand over the dirt mound that she'd been leaning over. Slowly, she started to dig into the pile. After a few seconds she came across the metal box that she had made them bury there. She refused to let his memory be marked simply by cold stone. She pulled out the box, and carefully removed the top. She gave a weak smile at what she saw. Each item held a special memory, and she let each one engulf her. She could see his face.....
The five year old tip-toed into the family music room. Her brother was composing again, and she didn't want to disturb him. She just wanted to listen. He was working on a new piece for his flute. She came up beside him and took a seat next to him. He turned one of his deep blue eyes to her. She smiled, and in his eyes she could see that laughing smile of his. He was a great deal like their dad, with eyes that speak without them having to say a word. She saw a world in her brother's eyes. And his music filled her with an unexplainable joy. He turned back to his paper, then played a last note and pulled the flute to his lap. He picked up a pencil and added a few new notes here and there on the page.
"Hmm. I wonder what this would sound like? Would like to try this new part?" He held out his flute to her.
"Me? Play your flute?" Her emerald eyes danced with happiness. Of all the instruments her brother played, he cherished his flute the most. She found it an honor to be allowed to play it. She placed her fingers on the flute, and he turned the new few bars of music he had just worked on to face her. Then he leaned back and watched his sister play. After she had finished he clapped.
"Beautiful," he said. "You are truly a child prodigy when it comes to music."
"I'm not that good, Jacob. Not nearly as good as you, anyway. Mom and Dad are always talking about how smart you are, and how talented you are. I was just lucky enough to be around long enough that some of it rubbed off." He laughed.
"If you say so, little sister. Which reminds me, your birthday was coming up pretty quick last time I checked it. Hope I didn't miss it. How old are you turning this year? Sixteen?" She giggled.
"No, silly. I'm turning six." She held up six fingers.
"You've gotta be kidding. A big girl like you is only six? Well, well. Isn't this a surprise?"
"No. You've said the same thing every day for the past week."
"I have? And what have I done after that?"
"Torment me about my gifts."
"Oh, yeah. I remember now. I am only eight, and I have a slight tendancy to act my age sometimes. Sorta like Dad."
"Yeah. Dad acts your age sometimes, too." The both started laughing.
"Keep laughing, you two. Keep laughing."
"Oh, hello Daddy. We didn't see you there." Jesse's face was turning as red as her hair.
"I noticed."
"Is there anything we can help you with, Dad?" The blonde boy smiled up at his father. Race smiled.
"No, I was just checking up on my kids. Speaking of which, how's daddy's little girl? Or should I say daddy's little birthday girl?"
"It's not my birthday yet, Daddy. Just one more day, and tomorrow I'll be a true-blue six year old." They all smiled.
"Well then, tomorrow is gonna be one big celebration, now won't it?"
"I hope so, Daddy." The tall man grinned, then looked down at his watch.
"If you want tomorrow to come quick, you better go to bed. It's about half an hour past your bed time."
"Oh, Daddy. Can I stay up just a little longer, please? I wanna stay here with Jacob, while he works on his new piece." Race looked at Jacob.
"You know what, Jesse? I think it'd be best if you went to bed. Besides, I have something else to work on, so I won't be finishing this until sometime around midnight?"
"Midnight?!" Jesse shrieked. "I have to go to bed at 9 and you get to stay up til midnight?! Oh, that is not fair!"
"Well, as soon as you get to be a big kid, you'll get to stay up late, too. And just think, after tomorrow you'll only have two years left to go." Jesse raised a skeptical eyebrow. She shook her head.
"I give up. Goodnight. Coming tuck me in, Daddy?"
"Be ther in a bit, Ponchita." Jesse went to bed, as did the rest of the Bannons later that night.
The next day.....
"Welcome to the world of the living, Birthday Girl."
"Hello, Mommy. Is everything set for my birthday party?" Estella grinned at her daughter's question.
"Yes, Jesse, everything's ready. As soon as your brother finishes his band practice, the party will start. Seeing as you got up on a Saturday without any help, I guess you're ready also, aren't you?"
"Ready and waiting." A strange look crossed her face."Uhh, Mommy? Which band is he practicing with today?"
"The rock band he and his friends started, sweety. Don't worry, it'll barely be an hour." Jesse grinned again.
"K. Thanks, Mommy." She leaned to give her mother a kiss on the cheek when the doorbell rang. Jacob came bounding down the stairs to the front door. When he opened it, four boys stood at the door. All of similar age to Jacob.
"Hey, Jacob. You ready?" one asked.
"Yeah, Robert. Gimme a sec to fix a snack, K?"
"K." When Jacob started to head to the kitchen, Robert craned his head into the door a little. He caught site of Jesse and smiled, not noticing that Jacob had seen him also.
"Right, I'm ready." He headed towards the door, doing his best to get in the way of Robert's view of Jesse. Just before the door closed, Robert waved quickly to Jesse. Then the boys were out of sight.
"Hmm," Jesse said thoughtfully. "I wonder what that was about." Estella smiled, then just shook her head while laughing.
Towards the end of the party....
Jesse sat silently looking at the gifts that she had opened. *Let's see,* she thought. *Here are mine from Daddy, and these from Mommy, and those are from all my friends, but I haven't opened any from Jacob. I'll have to ask him about that.* She looked around, but couldn't see Jacob. Finally he came through the back door. He slowed to a hault in front of the table where Jesse and her friends were sitting.
"Sorry I'm late. I had hidden the gifts so you couldn't find them."
"So, why are you late?" Jesse smiled. She knew the answer, she just wanted to hear him say it.
"Because I hid them too well and couldn't find them." Everyone at the party laughed. Even Jacob. Then, he carfully put down the gifts he had gotten Jesse on the table. Right in front of her. She slowly picked up the first of the two gifts before her. It had a familiar shape, but not one she could pin-point. She shrugged and opened it. Gasping, she nearly dropped it. "Like it?"
"Jacob, this is....it's your...."
"It's my old flute. And now it's your flute. Turn it over." She flipped over the small black case in her hands. In gold embroided letters, Jacob had carved out the name Jesse.....
The teen rubbed her fingers in the grooves of the letters. Placing the flute back down, she reached back and flipped the top corners of the composition laying on the bottom of the box. It was the second gift that had been in front of her that day. The one he had worked all night on to finish, just so he could give it to her on time. He always cared so much about her. And always did his best to prove it. Next to the flute lay two wooden sticks. Each with and initial carved into the bottom. *His drum sticks.* He always had his sticks with him. He even had them when he was playing his flute or trumpet. He considered them lucky with the belief that they had once saved someone's life. He had been brought to music store when he was little to pick them out. He had just picked them out when a robber ran into the store. Their dad had done a pretty good job stopping him, but he couldn't grab the gun before it hit the floor and went off. The bullet was heading straight for the store owner's chest. Jacob snapped out the sticks about a foot in front of the man and stopped the bullet. It busted the sticks, but the owner was so grateful that he fixed the sticks, then gave them to Jacob free.
"Oh well. Guess I better get going." She started to put everything back the way it was when she heard someone.
"Jesse? Jesse Bannon?" Jesse looked up at the three boys standing before her. She smiled.
"Boe? Mill? Randy? What are you three doing here?"
"Same thing as you, I suppose. To pay our respects to Jacob. Boy, you sure have grown since we last saw." Jesse laughed.
"It has been 8 years since we saw eachother. You guys have grown, too. Last time I saw you guys you were all 10 year olds in a hit child band."
"Yeah. The band. Look, that's one reason we're here. Me and the rest of the guys decided to get the band back together and start it up again. I mean, we have four people and that's all a band really needs. We hope you don't mind." Jesse smiled, nodding slightly.
"I don't mind. I hope all goes well."
"Thanx. Robert was the only other person good at drums so he's giving up plain electric to take Jacob's place. We'll tell him we saw you."
"OK. Good luck guys. And, now that I think about it, here. Take these." She handed Boe the sticks. "I'm sure Jacob would want you guys to have them."
"Thanks, Jesse. Hey, we gotta go. Maybe we'll see you again sometime. Bye."
"Bye, guys." She waved as they walked away. "Well, maybe they had the right idea." With that, she picked up the flute and music, put back the box, and walked to where her dad was waiting for her.