To preface...
This was one of my writing prompts for creative non-fiction class: Write an obituary or eulogy for yourself.
In the interest of not having Oprah hate me, I will gladly say this is not true. Which begs the question... creative nonfiction or just fiction? You decide.
Josie Sexton, 20 years old, beloved daughter, sister, and friend, died yesterday of heart complications tap dancing. Miss Sexton was giving her final recital, a lovely but edgy piece set to the tune of Salt N’ Peppa’s Shoop, when she collapsed to the floor after a series of pirouettes.
“It was her best performance yet,” said roommate and dance partner Hailey Gurvis. “She would have wanted to leave on a high note.”
Miss Sexton, always the performer, had recently taken up tap after trying her hand at couples’ dancing.
“She could tango anyone under the table,” Miss Gurvis said, “waltz, foxtrot, merengue, salsa, you name it.”
According to former coach Steve Yao, the decision to go solo was an important step for Miss Sexton, as a dancer and a young woman. “She always wanted to lead,” Mr. Yao said. “I think she finally realized she was ready to dance on her own.”
Miss Sexton, just two quarters shy of graduating from the Ohio State University, with a double major in International Relations and Spanish and a minor in English, left the school earlier this year to pursue other interests in Spain.
“She was different when she came back to Columbus,” Miss Gurvis said. “She wanted to take tap lessons, writing courses, and work as a waitress. She said she needed to save money to visit Raul.”
Raúl Ramon García Sanchez, Miss Sexton’s Spanish lover, described her as smart and funny, but also the “typical American.”
“She work so hard in Ohio,” Mr. Sanchez said.
Although friends and family attest to Miss Sexton’s relaxed character after returning from Europe, sister Lindsey believes years of stress are hard to undo.
“She used to worry a lot,” Lindsey said, “and I know she was still nervous on that stage, but she truly looked happy.”
