Chapter 9
While lying on the grasslands, looking up at the stars, a sudden thought crossed my mind.
“Kamila, when I die, bury me here.”
Kamila, who had been laughing just moments ago, fell silent immediately.
Though everything had gone smoothly these past few days, my increasingly frail body and the bloody tissues occasionally tossed into the trash were clear signs that my body had deteriorated beyond repair.
“Don’t say such unlucky things when we’re having
Chapter 9
+ 5 Points
Chapter 9
While lying on the grasslands, looking up at the stars, a sudden thought crossed my mind.
“Kamila, when I die, bury me here.”
Kamila, who had been laughing just moments ago, fell silent immediately.
Though everything had gone smoothly these. past few days, my increasingly frail body and the bloody tissues occasionally tossed into the trash were clear signs that my body had deteriorated beyond repair.
“Don’t say such unlucky things when we’re having such a good time.
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“We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”
I knew Kamila was deliberately avoiding the
topic.
But I also knew this wasn’t something that could be solved by avoidance.
I smiled and let the subject drop.
We lay there in silence for so long that I thought Kamila had fallen asleep beside me.
“Okay.”
I wanted to cry.
Well, let me cry then.
After all, I’m about to die.
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The day before we were supposed to head back home, I collapsed.
Thankfully, when Kamila chose the hotel, she picked one near a hospital.
At the time, I teased her for it.
Who goes on vacation and stays near a hospital instead of by the scenic spots?
Kamila shot me a look and said I didn’t understand her well–intentioned reasoning.
Dear Kamila, how could I not understand?
Now, I only hoped we could finish this trip peacefully.
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Maybe the heavens heard my prayer but regretted it halfway through.
So, on the day before we were supposed to return home, my condition worsened, and I fainted in the hotel.
I owe Kamila a lot. She had to take care of Paige while calling 911 and rushing me to the hospital.
But even the best hospital couldn’t bring me back.
I didn’t want to stay in the hospital before, but here I was, spending my last days in one.
When I woke up, Kamila was sitting by my bed, peeling an apple with Paige on her lap.
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Seeing me awake, Kamila immediately abandoned the apple and rushed over with Paige in her arms.
“You finally decided to wake up, huh? If you hadn’t, I was about to sell your daughter.”
Her words sounded harsh, but I could see her eyes were red, clearly from crying not long ago.
Paige, in her arms, was calling out for me, trying to get closer.
I wanted to reach out and hold her, but with all the tubes and machines connected to me, I couldn’t move at all.
After the doctor checked on me, he suggested that we transfer to a larger city, saying I might live a few days longer there.
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But in my condition, I couldn’t make the trip.
If my condition worsened on the way, there would be no chance at all.
Honestly, when I came here, I had already made up my mind to die here.
Dying on the grasslands sounded kind of cool.
After a week in the hospital, I couldn’t bear it any longer.
I was desperate to be discharged.
But Kamila refused.
That day, though, I was feeling particularly good, so I begged Kamila for a long time, saying
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I wanted to see the grasslands one last time.
Kamila initially said no, but after seeing how determined I was, it was like something clicked in her mind.
Her eyes suddenly reddened, but in the end, she agreed.
I smiled at her, “I knew you were the best, Kamila.”
We decided not to bring Paige along for this last trip.
Paige was very well–behaved, staying with the caretaker without any fuss or crying,
“Paige, do you love Mommy?”
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The little girl in front of me nodded eagerly, her voice sweet and innocent, “Paige loves Mommy the most.”
་་
I smiled, though my eyes stung with tears.
‘Mommy loves Paige the most too.”
“Alright, Mommy has to go now. Say goodbye to Mommy.”
Paige ran over from the caretaker’s arms, her tiny steps bringing her to my wheelchair, where she kissed me on the cheek.
“Goodbye, Mommy. Come back soon, okay? Paige will miss you.”
I gave Paige one last hug before telling Kamila to hurry up and leave.
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If we didn’t leave now, I might never be able to.
Kamila was driving, and I sat in the passenger seat, staring out at the endless expanse of the grasslands.
It was exactly the kind of life we had dreamed of during our university days.
How wonderful.
When we arrived, Kamila pushed my wheelchair, and we wandered aimlessly across the vast plains.
I was bundled up in a thick blanket–Kamila worried that the wind would chill me.
The wind did feel a bit cold now.
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Our eyes, red from the biting breeze, didn’t show all that we were feeling inside.
I babbled on, talking about everything that had been on my mind lately.
About her, about Paige, and about Archer.
I talked so much that I grew tired, overwhelmingly so.
I patted Kamila’s hand, “Let’s rest here for a while, I’m so tired.”
Kamila smiled, but her tears kept falling.
“I’m the one pushing the wheelchair; if anyone should be tired, it’s me, not you.”
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Our eyes, red from the biting breeze, didn’t show all that we were feeling inside.
I babbled on, talking about everything that had been on my mind lately.
About her, about Paige, and about Archer.
I talked so much that I grew tired,
overwhelmingly so.
I patted Kamila’s hand, “Let’s rest here for a while, I’m so tired.”
Kamila smiled, but her tears kept falling.
“I’m the one pushing the wheelchair; if anyone should be tired, it’s me, not you.”
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I smiled back, too drained to respond.
I looked ahead, but my vision was growing blurrier by the second.
I felt like I was drifting off to sleep.
Even the dull, persistent pain in my body seemed to ease, fading into nothingness.
In my daze, I saw my parents waving at me.
And then, there was 18–year–old Archer, smiling and calling me over to grab a soda from the
corner store.
Somewhere in the background, I could hear Kamila crying out my name, her voice filled with desperation.
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But it was distant, muffled, as if coming from another world.
I felt lighter, warmth spreading through my body.
All the chaos, the worries–they were finally slipping away.
I think it’s time to say goodbye to this world.
:
L
such a good time.”
