ARTHUR'S PAGE
Arthur was one of the most wonderful people anybody could have ever have had the pleasure of meeting. I'm quite proud to say that he was my best friend in this whole wide world. I do everything for him now. When Arthur died, it took each and every one of his friends by surprise. Including me. A lot of people took this news harshly. Some people didn't believe it. I, personally, thought it was a cruel April Fool's Joke. But I'll tell you all something... April 1st, 2001 is a day I will never forget...
2001-09-17
I Talk To Air.
Even now, it's not hard to remember how Arthur had told me that he loved me, and how he promised me that he would be my shoulder to cry on, for all of time. He was my best friend. We talked about everything from our main goal in life, to the after life, and what we would do with ourselves once we were older.
On April 1st, 2001, I went to my bedroom at 8:00, like always, to get online to talk to Arthur, and my friends I'd left in Ohio when I had moved. It was just like every April Fools, doing those two or three spider tricks to my mother, and laughing when she got mad and realized I had tricked her once again.
I went online as usual, checking my mail first, then joining all the normal chat rooms where I could reach my friends, and then enabling my messenger. After that I started getting message after message. "Tiah, we need to talk." "Something's happened." "Did you hear?" "Are you okay?" I didn't have time to answer any of these, when all of a sudden my boyfriend popped online, and told me something happened, and he needed to talk to me. I immediately thought that he was breaking up with me.
That day, my life changed forever. My boyfriend informed me, that my best friend had died, and he was sorry that he was telling me this, but he didn't want me to hear from anyone else. It was awful. The worst April Fools Joke ever. I couldn't believe that Arthur would play a trick like this with me. I was so angry with anyone who had a part in this. I hated them for it, because they each knew how important Arthur was to me.
For a few minutes, I sat quietly, not certain if I could believe my boyfriend, and my friends. Then it sunk in. I started crying instantly. I just didn't understand why this had happened. I cried all the time, after that. Continuously. Even when I wasn't full out sobbing, I still had tears falling down my cheeks. I cried myself to sleep every night, and when I woke up, I had new fresh tears welled up inside my eyes. I didn't stop crying till about two and a half weeks later.
It wasn't until I stopped crying that I had time to think. For the first time, I realized that not only had I lost a friend, but that Arthur had broken his promised to me, and I was angry about that, I resented him. He told me that he would be here whenever I needed him. Well I needed him then, and he wasn't anywhere to be found.
Time slowly, but inevitably passed by. Two months ago, I sat and stared at his picture. A good ten minutes had passed before I realized that I'd been talking out loud, just like he'd been sitting beside me on my bed. That night I figure I had a good hour talk with the air beside me. I could almost imagine what my mom would have said if she'd have seen me talking to myself.
I went to bed that night, planned on another night of restlessness and no sleep. Neither came to me though, I woke the next morning to find it was seven o’clock, and not two or three in the morning. I had slept all through the night, and even now I know it was Arthur. I think about him every moment, and miss him constantly. Yesterday was my sweet sixteen, and reminders that he had promised to spend that night online with me came rushing back. But I knew, as I blew out my candles, that he was there, standing just beside me. I smile once every day, just for him, because I know that Arthur was a guy who kept his word, and he never broke his promise to me. At night, when I lay alone in my bedroom, I can feel the warmth of his spirit and friendship all around me.
Anytime I want to be reminded of the promises that my best friend made me, I just sit down and start talking, because I know he's there, and I know he's listening to me. That's all that really counts.
He's my guardian angel.
Rest In Peace, My Friend.
Arthur Ray Williams 3rd, 1982-2001
A life cut tragically short
