Once Elise was done with her appointment with the doctor, she decided to visit the cemetery and pay for her burial space.
It was obvious she was going to die. She had prepared for this day all her life. Ever since she was a child, she had prayed and fasted for a miracle. Anything to take the pain away, but she found none.
And now, she was finally going to die. Maybe the stars showed her mercy by making her live this long in a world that didn't want her. It would have been better if she had died as a baby, rather than her mother.
When Elise walked in, the people around stared at her. She could see other families visiting their dead family members. A few people are conducting a burial. She walked over to the person in charge.
"I'm Elise Griffin, I'm here to purchase a space for my body," Elise said with a sigh and the people there brought out a form. They have seen rare cases like hers, so they weren't shocked to see her.
"The hospital will reach out in a month," Elise said. It's a good thing Lucien had given her his card, how the hell would she have paid for it?
Once she was done paying, she left the place.
Lucien on the other hand was in a serious meeting with investors for his new project when his phone beeped. It was an alert and it came from his card. He had expected the purchase to be a jewelry or designer bag, but he saw a cemetery purchase in the description.
What is that woman up to this time? His eyes narrowed.
He had asked her to get clothes for their date and she was purchasing a grave?
"Mr Voss are you listening?" An investor called and he returned to the meeting.
"I am," Lucien said.
🫧🫧🫧
Once Elise was out of the cemetery, she took a cab to the church to say her prayers. She stopped visiting years back after the miracle she prayed for did not happen and she got worse. But she made time to come from time to time, expecting nothing in return.
Elise joined her hands together and prayed. From here on out, she didn't care what she did, whether good or bad. She just wanted to live her last days doing what she loved.
Once she was done praying in church, she texted her best friend. Lucien had told her they were going out tonight, for a man like Lucien Voss, she was a little confused about what to wear.
The last thing Elise wanted was to embarrass him on their first night out.
"Hey Jiji, can you come shop with me? I'm going on a date tonight." Jiji responded quicker than Elise had expected.
"Ahhhhh 💃💃."
"Elise what the hell? Is this some joke?"
"I'll kill you if you're lying."
Elise smiled reading her best friend's messages. She knew the only reason Jiji hadn't been able to reach out was that her parents were probably watching her.
Before Elise could reply, her phone started ringing.
"ELISE... what the hell?" Jiji's voice burst through the line.
"Where did you find him? Is he handsome? Is he kind? How old is he? Is he rich? Is he tall? Wait... don't answer yet!"
Elise pulled the phone away from her ear, already smiling.
"Are you messing with me?" Jiji continued, barely breathing.
"Because if this is a joke, I swear I won't pick up your calls for weeks Elise. WEEKS."
"Jiji..."
"Is he the reason you ran away from home?" Jiji cut in.
"Are you staying with him? Does he even like you back? Elise, you know men are trash, right? Absolute trash!"
"Calm down," Elise said softly, amused.
"Meet me in front of the church. I'll tell you everything."
There was a sharp gasp on the other end.
"I'm coming right now," Jiji said, already breathless. "Don't move." The call ended.
Jiji had known Elise since they were children. And if there was one thing her best friend had never had, it was a man.
No one ever stayed. No one ever chose her.
So for Elise to suddenly have a boyfriend?
Jiji needed to see him with her own eyes.
Whoever this man was, he had better be serious. Because Jiji already planned to scare him just a little.
When she reached the church entrance, she spotted Elise standing quietly, hands folded as she waited.
"Elise!" Jiji called, rushing over.
Elise smiled the moment she saw her.
Jiji stopped short, her smile fading. "Why do you look so pale?" she asked, worry slipping into her voice.
"Are you okay?" Elise nodded. She couldn't believe that in the next thirty days, she would not be able to hear Jiji's sweet voice anymore.
How cruel life was to her. But she had decided to keep a memorial. Something she could gift to all of the people she loves to remind them, she was once here.
"I'm fine," she said gently.
"I just… got beaten by my sisters yesterday."
Jiji's eyes darkened instantly.
"Those witches again?" she snapped. "They came to my house, Elise. Told my parents all kinds of rubbish, said you were heartless, said you refused to donate your kidney."
Elise looked down.
"And guess what?" Jiji continued, folding her arms.
"My parents believed them at first. They even stopped me from seeing you." She huffed, then grinned proudly.
"But I fought. I told them everything. They know the truth now."
Elise's eyes softened.
"That's… really sweet of you."
Jiji shrugged dramatically.
"Of course it is. I'm your best friend."
Then she squinted.
"Now. You said something about a boyfriend earlier."
Elise's cheeks flushed. She lowered her head, fingers twisting together. Then she nodded.
Jiji's mouth fell open.
"It's real?"
Elise nodded again.
There was a half-second of silence.
Then...
"AHHHHHHH!" Jiji screamed, throwing her arms around Elise.
"You finally got a boyfriend?! Do you know what this means?"
Elise laughed softly.
"It means I can finally date too!" Jiji shouted, jumping in place.
People nearby turned to stare.
"HEY EVERYONE," Jiji yelled, pointing at Elise, "MY FRIEND GOT A BOYFRIEND. ALL OF YOU THAT MOCKED HER... SHAME ON YOU!"
"Jiji!" Elise whispered urgently. "We're in front of a church!"
They froze.
Then burst into laughter.
Grabbing each other's hands, they ran down the steps, laughing until their stomachs hurt.
For the first time in a long while, Elise felt light.