The Smallest Parallel

Chapter 20

Marguerite stood in front of the mirror, taking notice of her small frame. She was swimming in white fabric as Harper stood before her, making mental notes.

            "You've lost weight," she said.

            I was the day before the wedding, and Marguerite was filled with anxiety. Her mind mulled every possibility of what the following day would look like. Throughout her entire life, she'd imagined many of the milestones she would face, but she'd never imagined her wedding day. She'd never seen a traditional marriage, and she never understood why people chose to get married. That viewpoint had been a byproduct of her unstable upbringing, but it was also a valid point.

            What was she doing here?

            "I do have cancer," Marguerite said, acknowledging the comment about her low body weight.

            Rhiannon stood in the corner, nursing a cup of tea and smiling at the bride-to-be in the mirror. "You look beautiful," she said, quiet as ever.

            Saraiya sauntered in, wearing a sweater and jeans that hung loosely. She looked as if she were teetering on the edge of death.

            "Why hello there, young lady," she said, "I do believe that my honorary daughter is the most gorgeous woman I've ever seen."

            Marguerite giggled at her friend. Saraiya kept that spark of personality despite the grim situation. It was admirable.

            As Marguerite was preparing for her wedding the following day, she was also in bed at her farmhouse, dying. Perhaps this was where she was supposed to be. For some reason she was teetering between realities once again. The divide between life and death was becoming stronger, yet everything still seemed to merge together. She wasn't quite sure how much longer she could hold on. What would happen if she died in this reality? Would she still be alive in the other one.

            She knew that it was almost her time to go, so she had called Geoffrey. Though they had fought, she understood that he didn't need to believe her. She just needed somebody there to hold her hand during her worst night. She tossed and turned under the covers, the sickness pulling at her insides. She could feel her body deteriorating, the disease eating away at her.

            "I wonder what it will be like," Marguerite said, smiling weakly.

            Geoffrey handed her some pain medication, which had been prescribed to her by her doctor. His sad smile made everything hurt a little bit more, though she wasn't sure why.

            "I don't know," he said, "I have no idea what it will be like, but I'm sure you've already imagined something."

            She nodded her head, agreeing with his statement.

            "I've imagined many things, Geoffrey. Before I leave, I'd like to thank you for being there for me. I'd like to thank you for helping me with my ridiculous bucket list and for always standing by me, even though it seemed a bit mad."

            Geoffrey smiled again, patting her hand. Tears rolled down his cheeks.

            "I really enjoyed the adventure," he said.

            She rolled onto her side and faced him.

Suddenly, she was looking at Saraiya once again.

            "I hope you're ready to be filthy rich," she said.

            Marguerite took a step back. The room was spinning. Saraiya was merging into Geoffrey and everything was distorted. Rhiannon and Harper disappeared and reappeared before her eyes. She felt disoriented and confused.