Till Death Do Us Part : Sad Love Story

  One day, a girl I'd been crushing on since like forever says something to me that

  would change the rest of my life. And I said yes

  the beginning

  Phillip

  I used to work in this really crappy fast food restaurant as a waiter. The hygiene in that place was immaculate. The manager made sure we scrubbed our hands, wore rubber gloves and tied our hair up and put a cap on before we cooked or delivered anything. He was a control-freak, undiagnosed OCD asshole whom everyone hated. His name was Fred and he had a wife who was–not surprisingly- just like him.

  The day I applied for the job wasn’t a good day for me. My girlfriend had left me, my phone died, my bathroom drain was blocked, the plumber wasn’t picking up his phone, and I was almost broke.

  So I’d gone out, and passed this sign saying‘Waiters Needed- Hefty Salary’stuck on a window. The restaurant to which the window belonged looked good enough so I entered. I went in, and met Fred. I hated him at first sight, and vice versa. But I needed money and he had it, and he needed waiters, and I was willing, so it was a win-win if he hired me. So he did.

  Alyssa was this girl who came to the restaurant every Saturday with her dog. She wasn’t all that pretty, though she had tan skin, green almond eyes and gorgeous hair. It was maybe because she never wore makeup. Every Saturday I would wait for her to come, and when she did, I’d run up to her and ask‘The usual?’and she would nod and smile.

  Okay, maybe I had this little crush on her.

  So, one day, I was serving an old couple, when a tap on my shoulder made me turn around and face Alyssa. She told me something that changed my life forever.

  “Will you marry me, Phillip Sawyer?”

  I stared at her, my mind blank. A thousand questions swam around, but I just stared at her.“What?”

  “I asked you whether you would marry me.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’ve been- actually, how about we talk over a cuppa?”

  “I don’t know; I’m working…”But actually, in my mind, I was doing a little cheer routine. Any reason to ditch work was welcome, no matter how bizarre. So we walked over to the cafénext door and sat down in the last table.

  I was about to start talking, when she raised a palm and stopped me.“Hear me out.”

  “My name is Alyssa Davis. I am twenty one years old and I have a younger sister named Aurora. She is married and is three months pregnant. I hate animals, but love plants of all kinds. I am fascinated by microorganisms, and have studied microbiology in college. I am currently working as a researcher in the same field, and I’m also a dance teacher.

  ‘But that is unnecessary. Three days ago, I was diagnosed with cancer. It doesn’t matter what type, but I can assure you, it has nothing to do with my sex organs, and I can have babies just as usual. I have about a month and a half to live. The doctors told me that if I wanted to, I could end my life right now, quickly and painlessly, or I could live the one and a half months and die painfully. I chose the one and a half months, so I could die happy. To die happy, I have to finish all the goals I’ve set for myself. One of them is getting married to someone I love. I’ve been observing you for the past few months, and I’ve fallen for you, Phillip, hard. I never knew love, and what it feels like, and I still don’t, but this crush, it’s good enough for me. I want to feel everything, Phillip. I’ve never had sex; I’ve been saving myself for marriage. I want to go to the Arctic, to Sahara. I want to live. So, I ask you, Phillip. Will you marry me?”

  I could only stare.

  “Excuse me?”

  “I know, its short notice, and you probably have priorities, like a girlfriend, or even a wife. I don’t know what I was thinking. Can we pretend this never happened? I’ll leave now. Okay, bye.”

  She stood up, and gathered her handbag.“Wait!”I cried. I felt something like courage rise in me and form a lump in my chest.“I love you, Alyssa Davis. Will you marry me?”Alyssa turned around, amidst cheering and clapping spectators and with teary eyes, ran into my arms.

  Alyssa

  They say that when you are going to die, your life flashes before your eyes. Well, I was going to die, but over a period of one a half months, and I can see no life before me, just what is going to happen. I couldn’t care less if my memory suddenly disappeared, because all I care about is the now and the later.

  The first time I saw Phillip Sawyer was the day I moved into this town. He was shopping for clothes, and I was grocery shopping. I wore a red shirt similar to what the store employees were wearing, so I guess he must have mistaken me for one. He came up to me and asked me the price of one particular shirt, and I clarified I wasn’t a store employee. Then he clarified that he knew, and just needed a reason to talk to me. Then I got the phone call from the hospital telling me to come immediately.

  After the diagnosis, I was pretty heartbroken. I didn’t tell anyone, except Rex, my dog; not until two weeks went by. I remember that after I was done at the hospital, and the doctors gave me the choice, I asked for a few minutes to myself and during that time, I took a walk outside, my mind surprisingly blank. By the time I reached the end of the road, I’d made my decision. I wasn’t going to end my life just like, poof. I had to make a mark, live my life, a life worth living, at least in my last few months. I’m probably guessing that if I hadn’t found out my life was ending; I would have just gone on just like before. So I went up to the doctor and told him that I wanted to live.

  The next day, I went to the caféafter my Saturday run and registered on a few dating sites, though I knew it wasn’t going to work. When a shadow fell over me and a male voice asked for my order, and I looked up and saw the man I’d seen at the store, my heart almost stopped. I’d managed to keep a poker face and smile at the guy, and give my order. He’d taken it and gone. I’d observed him for a few weeks, when I realized waiting around was a waste of my precious time. That was when I gathered up the courage to ask him.

  When I got up after explaining everything and realized how stupid I’d been, and he called me back and told me he loved me too, I thought I would burst. The feeling I felt when I ran into his arms was pure, sheer joy.

  The next day, we told our parents. His mother and father were originally surprised, and then they told me they would love for me to marry his son. They obviously didn’t know the truth. Phillip threw me this look that told me he didn’t want them to know. My parents were obviously thrilled. Even Aurora, who usually ignores me and my spontaneous, stupid decisions approved of this one.

  She took me aside after the joy, behind the house, in the backyard.“Are you sure about this, Ally?”She asked me and I knew she was truly happy, but just being careful.“Yes, I am; very sure.”She took a glance back to Phillip, who was laughing with Dad.“He does look delicious. I can’t say he’s not a catch,”I elbowed her, a silly grin on my face. She glanced back to me, and we giggled like teenagers together.

  The day after, we got married, at my house. Phillip looked gorgeous, in his tuxedo, blue-eyed, dark haired. I wore my mother’s wedding dress, a long gown in a shade of dirty-white that had these tiny little peach-coloured roses at the left side of my waist, and was otherwise void of design.

  I walked to him, and his eyes were full of tears, that I started crying just that tiny bit. Mum and Daddy were positively sobbing. The ceremony was over by eight, and after dinner, I could feel the butterflies set in.

  I’ve had my share of high school crushes and back-seat groping, but I’ve never gone the whole way; I’ve never had the guts. I’d always assured myself losing my virginity to my life-long husband is better.

  So I watched as Phillip laughed with his friends, some distance away, and I wondered what I should do. All around me, people were talking and having fun. All of a sudden, Phillip was making eye contact with me and he winked. I stood there, gaping. Then he took a few slow, deliberate steps to reach me and I realized my heart was racing and my breath was coming fast and hot.

  “Are you a virgin, Alyssa?”

  Hot, hot breath in my ear. I nodded; my heart was pounding too hard for me to say anything.“Let’s undo that, shall we?”He turned me around and made me face him. He looked even more handsome up close. Phillip had the sort of face that was old-fashionably handsome. He had blue eyes the colour of the monsoon sky, hair the darkest brown imaginable and a body that was perfectly muscular: not too much, not too less.“Okay,”I breathed. I must’ve looked scared because once we reached my bedroom; he looked into my eyes and reminded me to breathe. I took a deep breath and entered. He followed and I decided to clarify something.“Phillip, I don’t know anything. I don’t know how to- how to do anything. This is my very first time.”He smiled at me.“This is my first time too,”He reached out one hand and motioned for me to take it. I did, and he pulled me to his body and just touched his lips to mine.

  “You don’t have any disease, right? Like, AIDS or anything?”

  He chuckled and shook his head.

  Then we just stood there for a while, our lips touching the tiniest bit. Then he crushed his lips down on mine, passion close to fury raging in both our eyes. After that, it just came naturally.

  the middle

  Phillip

  Alyssa fell asleep at once, after we did it, but not before she told me how grateful she was that I was doing this for her. I just couldn’t help thinking how fast it was all going. I was falling in love with a girl who was dying of cancer; a girl who would be dead afte
r a month. I took one look at the peaceful, sleeping woman curled by my side, and my heart melted. I would do anything, take her anywhere in this month. Alyssa was a beautiful woman, in my view. She had red hair that came till the curve of her back and green eyes that were so clear I could see my own face in them. Her nose was this little snub that was upturned at the end. I’ve noticed females, but only those who were considered the cream of the crop, the ones with long legs, blonde hair, blue eyes and big boobs. But this girl made me ignore them all.

  When she woke up in the morning, she looked up at me and smiled.“Good morning,”she said. I smiled back, truly terrified that she would see through me. I never thought I would fall so hard for a girl I thought I was only doing a favour for.“What do you want to do today?”I asked her. I made a silent promise to myself to show her the time of her life this month. She would die a happy woman.“Sleep,”She murmured sleepily.

  “Ha-ha. Good luck, sleepyhead. I’m going to take you out today, make you so tired you won’t even dream tonight. Be prepared.”I promised her.“Really?”She blinked up at me. I nodded.“So. Name your very first goal.”

  “Get married.”She said.“That’s done, what’s next?”

  “Uh. I think it was…sexual intercourse.”She said, and blushed. I resisted the urge to laugh.“Okay. After that?”

  She hesitated, and I knew it was something that wasn’t entirely possible. She said it anyway.“Children,”she said and averted her eyes. I knew they were filled with tears even when I couldn’t see her eyes.“Oh, Alyssa.”I murmured and took her in my arms. I could give her joy, happiness and anything she wanted for only so long, before this mysterious cancer killed her. Wetness spread on my shoulder and I realized she was crying, sobbing, almost.

  “It hurts, Phillip, it hurts so bad.”She sobbed into my shoulder, and I felt a hollow pit in my stomach, tenderness for this vulnerable, hurting woman.“I wish I could take it all away, Ally, I wish I could. Do you think it’s because of last night?”I felt her shake her head vigorously.“No, no, it can’t be.”I almost grin at her stubborn-ness. Almost.

  Over the next few days, I taught her how to play football, she taught me how to sing, we learnt how to dance, we sang tune-less karaoke at a club, we made prank calls, we celebrated for no reason, and most importantly, we have fun. Lots of fun. The pain got worse over time, and I could see the pain on her face. On the Saturday of the last-but-third week she had left, we visited my parents for the first time after the marriage.

  They still didn’t know, and I knew my mother was wondering about her alarmingly skinny frame, sunken eyes and hollow cheekbones, but Alyssa was the charming person she always was. Till date, I still don’t know why I fell in love with her. If you asked me why, I would have just blinked at you. But I did. Maybe I still do. All I know is, if she had lived, I would have gladly grown old with her, and died at a ripe old age, with her.

  Alyssa

  I held the iron bar so tight my knuckles became pale. The rollercoaster ride went so fast I could feel the skin and muscle on my cheeks actually be pulled back by the wind.“Phillip!”I yelled.“Yeah, Ally?” “I’m scared.”My racing heart almost stopped as he bent down and planted a small, quick one on my cheek. It was so chaste, so full of love I almost forgot about the life-threatening ride I was on.

  “Better?”He yelled back. I nodded with a silly grin on my face.“Okay.”He said, mostly to himself, but I heard it. It was as if he was telling himself he put that grin on my face. I was so wrapped up in that kiss; I never realized when the rollercoaster stopped until it squealed to a stop, making me almost bang my head on the iron bar. I then realized that my grip on the bar had slackened, since that kiss. Jeez, it had an effect on me. I stood up, and my knees cracked.

  “That was wild.”I said to Phillip, stepping out of the compartment we were sitting in.“Yes, it was,”He acknowledged. We walked through the Amusement Park, hand in hand, cameras and all equipment in a bag on our backs. By nightfall, we were done with almost all the rides and were on our way home, on a bus, which was actually pretty comfortable. I leaned my heavy head on Phillip’s shoulder, and let sleep envelop me.

  When I woke up, sunlight was streaming down the window. We’d rented a small flat near my parent’s house, so we’d have some privacy. The rent was paid partially by the money I’d saved up and partially by Phillip. He’d gotten a better job since that fast-food restaurant stint, and now he was the manager of a similar restaurant, only bigger and more popular. I had a considerably large sum of money in my account, and I wanted to spend a part of it, and leave the rest to Mum, Daddy and Aurora equally.

  Phillip was lying down next to me, his dark hair spilling on his forehead and lips ajar. I watched his even breathing and his flickering eyelids. He was having a dream. Who knows what it was? Maybe it was a nightmare or maybe it was a beautiful dream. I stroked his hair, and his eyes opened.“Ally?” “Hey,” “Why don’t you sleep?” “Nah, I’m not sleepy anymore.” “Are you sure?”He slid one hand around my waist and pulled me to his chest, my back against his heartbeat. I struggled to escape; playing along.“Sleep, darling,”He whispered in my ear and made dramatic snoring sounds, and I laughed in spite of myself. Then he let me go. I rolled off the bed and held out one hand.“Her Royal Majesty has ordered you, Worthless Sleepyhead to awaken at once!”He was up and standing in a second.“Yes, ma’am!”He saluted me.“You don’t salute a queen, you idiot.”I smacked his head dramatically. He picked me up, dangling me over his shoulder like I weighed no more than a small bag.

  We played the rest of the day.

  Little did I know what would happen next.

  the end

  The only sound in the gloomy room is Alyssa’s irregular breathing. Next to her, stand her parents, their faces red and eyes teary, but bodies motionless. Behind them sits Aurora holding her one week young son. Even the baby is silent. Sitting next to Alyssa is Phillip, his eyes watching her flickering eyes. He keeps blinking every once in a while, but that’s all he does. They have been told by the doctors that when she goes, the beeping will cease and become a high-pitched whine. The beeping had become faster, then slower and then just irregular. Phillip held Alyssa’s hand in his, squeezing it once in a while. The door flies open, and a nurse burst inside, and stares at all of them, her eyes wide.

  “There is an emergency. The building is on fire in the oxygen chamber. It will burst any second. Please evacuate. The patient will be evacuated separately. Now, please,”She waits for a few seconds, accompanying Alyssa’s ragged breathing with her own panting.“Mamma, come on.”Aurora says, at last.“You go, dear. You have Victor to look after. We will stay here.”Aurora looks at her son with tears in her brown eyes.“Mamma, no,”She breathes.“Go, Aurora. Now.”Aurora gasped and sobs one heavy cry. It must have resonated in Victor’s mind because he lets out a wail. That jolts Aurora and she grabs Victor and runs.

  Two things happen at once. All the walls come crumbling down together, as fire combines with oxygen and blast. The beeping stops and is replaced with a drone that fills the empty air.

  Alyssa’s eyes are finally calm, and on her stomach lies her un-breathing husband, and inside it, their dying child

 

 

  John, Lily, Till Death Do Us Part : Sad Love Story

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