When a girl dies…what do you do with her clothes?--Especially the dirty ones. Should you wash them? For what reason? Do you give them away? Do you sell them? Or, should you keep them to remember her? If she were reading a book before she died…what should you do about the bookmark? Would it be a dishonor to the dead if you threw it away? What about her computer? Would you change her personal settings? Would you play the games she had saved her place in? Is it ok to beat her high score? Would you even be able to touch the keys that she once touched?
If you had loved this girl, would you go on living? Would you love again? And if you did not love her, and she had never been in love, would you be able to experience love? Would you feel guilty that she never will? It’s said “the greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love, and be loved in return.” What if she was never loved in return? Had she learned anything in her lifetime?
Would her friends weep? Would they miss her? Would they feel responsible for the suicide? Would the grief of her death bring them together or drive them apart? Would they be able to play pool in the same hall she did? Would they bowl in the same alley? Get milkshakes in the same restaurant? Be able to watch old movies without missing her laughter, tears, joy?
Would she haunt their dreams or rest in peace? Wherever she was, would she feel their love? Or, would she be “alone in suicide, which is deeper than death.” Would you hate her for what she did? Would you struggle to understand what she was feeling? Why she did it? It doesn’t make sense, does it? Would you ask yourself everyday for the rest of your life what you could have done? Would you waste your life in ignorant wonder of her “reckless” act? All these questions you ask yourself…will you realize that you started asking too late? Will you realize that all the things you wish you had done to help wouldn’t have helped?
One day you’ll stop asking these questions. Denial, anger, guilt, bargaining…acceptance.
Guess what? All you needed to prevent this was a question. Just a question…

Hey, how are you today?