Couldn't Wait

As sad as the occasion was, even after all this time had passed, Nuala still managed to muster a smile, for her friend. "Hey Angela," she said softly, slowly coming to sit on the grass under the tree. "So I haven't come in a while. I know that's bad, and I'm sorry. I know what you'd be saying though." Nuala smiled at the thought of her friend and even laughed a little. "You'd be saying, 'you're here now, and you came back. That's what matters.' I can almost hear you saying it too." She looked up at the sky then down at the grass, trailing her finger along the outline of the stone. "I miss you Ange. I wish you were still here."

For a while after that, Nuala just sat there in silence. So slowly that she didn't realise it was happening before it had, she had allowed herself to get lost completely in her train of thoughts. Suddenly, Nuala became aware of one particular question that persistently floated back into her head. And the question was a quite simple one. Why? Why did bad things happen to good people? Why did the universe let it? Why couldn't bad things happen to bad people and good things happen to good, like karma? Why did the world seem so unfair sometimes? Why? Just, why? But then, as she thought about it, Nuala realised that there were reasons for everything.

"You know something Angela?" After a long time where the only sound that could be heard was the whispering of the wind through the trees, Nuala spoke again, deciding that silence had gone on long enough. "I get it. It didn't seem fair to me that the world had taken you, but I think I get it now. Heaven couldn't wait any longer for you," she said, smiling as she did, as if her voicing it really cemented it and hearing it out loud made it make sense. "And h.. h... he'll," Nuala said, shuddering as she said the word, not liking it and knowing her friend wouldn't either. "They're giving people like Devina, remember her? Anyway, they're giving people like her more time to show they're good. But heaven didn't need to give you more time. They knew you were good. You've always been good. You were so good, in fact Angie, that heaven couldn't wait any longer for you."