My alarm didn't ring and I quickly get ready for work. Before getting to the shower, I heard a meow at my door. I put my dishes on the sink before letting Peach inside.
"I'll turn the TV on before taking a shower, okay?" I say to her.
She jumps on my sofa and then takes a bath.
"I guess that's a yes." I whisper.
Thinking about the girl becomes often. Sometimes, I don't have to put an effort into thinking about her, she will just pop into my mind. I wonder what she's doing now that Peach is in my apartment. If I have a cat as intelligent as Peach, I will lock all my windows and doors. I grab my satchel and turn off the TV. Peach meows at me. I have to explain to the cat that I need to go to work.
The door blasted open, and Peach. The girl smiles at me, holding two airplane tickets.
"What's that?" I ask, with a hint of fear in my voice.
"Plain ticket. Pack your things. We're leaving after lunch." She orders.
"Are you freaking crazy? I have work! I can't just go inside the plane without filing a vacation leave!" I yell.
She looks at me, puzzled. "You have to file a vacation to your boss?"
I groan in disappointment, falling onto my sofa.
"Hey, chill, it's just for five days."
Is she trying to calm me? Does she really think that it's just that easy to not show up at my work?
"Don't you really understand I have to work or I'll starve to death? I have bills to pay!" I yell.
She rolls her eyes. "Okay then. Let me drive you to your office."
She marches inside to grab Peach.
She's the authority, she's making that clear to me, but I can't just follow her blindly to whatever she wants me to do when I have goals and plans and bills.
She parks exactly in front of the building, staring at me as if I had just eaten her cat.
"Get the hell out here!" she screams at me.
The people look at us in horror. I murmur 'sorry'. What a scene this girl is making. I just hop out and slam the door of her vintage car.
"FUCK YOU!" she yells.
I glare at her and put my middle finger in front of me. Then I decide to go to Tim Hortons to have a decent latte. That girl is becoming a pain in my ass. My heart skips when I see the girl get out of the office. She smirks at me when she sees me looking at her gawking. I grab her arm and she's trying to get away from my grip. Just when I realize that I can't hold on to something but just her bones. She coughs intensively, then I let go of her arm.
"What are you doing inside?" I ask her.
"Jack!" Mr. Gomez calls.
She clears her throat weakly, then smirks. "Meet me in the parking lot, Jack. Parking lot E2."
My heart is thudding so loudly. I watch first, walking weakly away, and press the elevator button. She catches her breath, putting all her weight on her palms, trying to stand straight while leaning on the wall. I want to ask her if she's okay, but Mr. Gomez calls me again. The thudding on my chest is so loud it's suffocating me.
What was she thinking of coming here and talking to my boss?
I make a sign of the cross before knocking on the door. Mr. Gomez looks through the glass door. I walk inside as he instructs.
"Good morning, sir." I say. "Look, whatever she told you, she's crazy."
"You didn't tell me that you're getting married." Mr. Gomez says, patting my back.
What. The. Fuck did Mr. Gomez say?
"You can take an immediate VL for a week." Mr. Gomez adds.
"What? That's a lie, sir. Look, I don't even have a girlfriend."
"Your fiancé just dropped by."
"I don't know what you're talking about. I don't even know her. Sir, she's insane to believe in me."
He looks so annoyed. "You know, Jack, you've been working here for three years and I appreciate your hard work, but you never once take your VL. Go now, enjoy your wedding and honeymoon. For a month or two, I don't care." He sways his hand, looking at the calendar. "You'll have a paid leave. Leave now, don't ditch your fiancé."
"T… thank you, sir."
"Oh, wait."
I look back at him, peeking at the door.
"Bring me dry mangoes. It's my favorite."
I smile at him. "I won't forget."
I run down the hallway to the elevator. I hate what she's doing to me. She's playing cards and I can't even have my own decision. I search for her in the parking lot and found her sitting on the wooden bench catching her breath. I don't know what she's thinking, but she looks so lifeless there. She's looking up at the sky talking to the phone, but I can see the ups and downs of her breathing—clearly, she's having difficulty breathing. I grab her hand she quickly turns at me in surprise.
"I have to go." She says in a breath.
"What the hell was that?" I yell at her.
She looks on the floor, biting something inside her mouth.
"I thought he'll going to talk to you." She says.
"He did. You can't just ask someone to take an immediate leave. And getting married?"
"I asked your boss about you. He said you took none of your vacation leave, so I just lied a little. It's not a big deal." She says calmly, as if I'm in the mood for jokes.
She looks so fragile, but I can't help to get mad at her.
"He said vacation leaves are paid. You won't be starving." She continues.
I give up. This girl is so crazy. She's ahead of the game and I'm not catching up, I'm not even playing.
"Where are we going?" I ask.
"You didn't read my notes. I gave you my bucket list. I have crossed only two out, so help me with the others, okay?" She explains.
"We're going to cross them out for the next 5 days!" she sings at the top of her lungs.
We first, return to my apartment and she helps me pack my bags. I told her my boss gave me a month of paid vacation leave and she squeaks like a pig, making my ears hurt. She jumps at me and I almost lost my breath in her tight hug; I swear she could kill me if she wishes to. And we book a grab car to the airport.
She hands me back her lists while we're inside the car.
Bucket List of The Dying Girl:
· Make a friend
· Ride a roller coaster
· Go hiking
· Skinny dipping
· Watch sunset and sunrise
· Sky diving
· Bar hopping
"Your bucket lists are childish." I comment.
"All bucket lists are childish."
"Why these are only 7? Most bucket lists are 10."
"I didn't include the other 3 lists. It's for a personal reason." She winks.
"Okay. But when did you decide to make this?"
"When I met you." She leans her back.
And I notice that her breathing is back to normal. She closes her eyes and again, I just forget the shit that she did this morning. I smile at her while admiring her face. I think I'll just figure out the 3 lists that she didn't want me to know. I wonder what are those.
The traffic magically disappears, or maybe it's almost lunchtime and that's why we're not stuck in traffic. She kicks me out of the car and gives something to the driver when we arrive at the airport. I remember she said that she booked caseless, maybe it's a tip, and she doesn't want to show it to me.
"Ready?" she asks me with a smile, moments after she got out of the car.
"I'm not really sure where we are we going."
She runs inside the airport and spins around.
"Cebu, here we go!!!" she screams.
Everyone looks at her like crazy, some just laugh. I feel embarrassed, but she's so carefree. A guard walks toward her and whispers something.
"I'm just happy to finally travel with my boyfriend." She says loud enough for everybody to hear.
When did I get a girlfriend? I don't remember. I hope she's just bluffing to the guard.
I walk closer to them.
"I understand, madam, but please don't make a scene." The guard says.
She looks at me and whispers something to the guard. She shows him his passport.
"I'm so sorry, ma'am." The guard says.
I wonder what she said that surprises him.
"Do you need a hand in your baggage?" he asks.
"Yes, please. Jack, give him our things." She orders.
"Follow me, ma'am." The guard says.
I shake my head, smiling, following them. Magically, we cut the lines and treat them like a VIP. I wonder what this lady is capable of, but I didn't question her.
She turns to look at me with a big smile. "I told him I'm disabled."
I doubt that and feel like a lie, even if she's really disabled.
I nod my head.
"I'll be seating in the window seat."
She let me go inside the plane first. I wait for her and see she hands something to the guard. She doesn't want to show me what she's handling, but I respect her for that. I thought we were getting to an economy, but I am blown inside the first-class plane. I check my ticket and double-check it, but it's really a first-class plane ticket.
"I need my medicine." She says breathlessly.
I help her sit and give her water. I feel so worried, but then she quickly regains her strength.
"Are you okay?" I ask.
She sighs. "I haven't been on a plane for almost a year."
She doesn't want to talk about her health.
"I haven't been on a plane for a long time." I say. "I have never been to a first-class flight."
"Father pleaded with mother to seek treatment in the US." She scoffs. "but I can't beg him to do the same."
"Was it worth it? Coming there?"
"Mother was so ill. She was been getting in and out of every hospital for years and years. Her body was so rotten."
"What about your father?"
"She gave up when mother died." She looks out the window and takes her hair tie, letting her hair down and hiding her tears.
I don't get why I never realize it before. She's so careful, she's always wearing long sleeves, pants, medical face masks, and shoes, sometimes with gloves. She's doing that so she won't get tiny cuts. She doesn't care about sweat.
She turns to me again and forces a smile.
"Have you given up as well?" I ask.
"I hate hospital rooms. I've been doing chemotherapy for three years. My body is giving up, stage 3 lung cancer."
She goes silent and I don't know what to say.
"I was born in the Middle East." I say.
She returns her attention to me.
"My grandma got really sick that mom and I have to take care of her. My uncle was here with her, but they need an extra hand. Our initial plan was to only stay for six months, but eventually, she needed us for more than a year. Unfortunately, she didn't make it."
"Did you return to the Middle East?" she asks softly.
"Mom returns, but she told me to finish high school here."
"And never return?"
I nod my head.
"Was it your choice to stay?"
I shake my head. "They promised they'll quick their jobs when I graduated from college but until now, I'm alone and they still working there."
"And your uncle?"
"My uncle." I mumble. "He died 2 years ago."
"I'm sorry."
"He was a father to me for six years."
"I'm sure he left a big impact on your life and was proud of you."
"Very. He was a strong-spirited person."
"I wish I met him." She whispers.
She puts back her face mask and sleeps. She sleeps most of the time. I'm waking her when the food arrives.
She looks deadly to the flight attendant.
"What we got?" she asks.
"I ordered soda and croissant." I say to her.
"Do you have coffee?" she asks the FA.
"We have Brewed Coffee and Arabic coffee." The FA says.
"Gave him Arabic and croissant, green tea for me." She says.
I guess no more soda for me. Then they served lunch baby back ribs and java rice with red wine. I don't know why she gave me a task for her birthday when I know she could plan to go to Paris or London.
The flight attendant announces the arrival. I wake her up. She yawns at me and checks her phone.
"We're a little early." She says. Then put her phone back in her bag. "The limo will arrive at 20."
"What did you just say?"
She keeps on surprising me. I wonder where her money is coming from. I doubt that owning one apartment could afford a first-class flight and renting a limo.
"I mean the limo, my contact, will arrive at 2:20 PM. We can grab something first in the airport." She explains.