Even in Death

My name is George, and I first met Linda in tenth grade. We were at one of those school mixers dance, and there she was sitting alone. I walked up to her, and after talking with each other, we both realized we weren’t right for each other, but that we would make great friends.

We talked all night, and than when she had to leave, she gave me her phone number and told me to call her sometime. We have kept the relationship alive ever since.

One of my other friends, Robert, saw Linda at the dance too. Once he found out that I had no intention of going out with her, he instantly asked me to set him up with her. I got them to go on a date, and they hit it off from there.

That was ten years ago, and they have been in love ever since. They have had one or two fights, like couples always do, but have always gotten over them. I still talk with them both, and I consider Linda to be my best friend.

One day, I got a call from Robert. He said that he had just written a song, "Anywhere". He had gotten a band to play at the local Ritz, and when the song started, he was going to propose. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing! I knew that Linda would say yes, because she kept talking to me about how she wants him to ask her into marriage. They were going to meet at the Ritz at eight, and by nine they would start their new life together.

Linda knew tonight was the night. Once she got the invitation to go to the Ritz with Robbert, she knew he was going to propose. She had bought a new dress, a slim, silk, black dress with golden dragons on it. Her hair, which was black with yellow highlights, had gone through a three hundred dollar makeover today, and she thought she was looking pretty damn good. She got to the Ritz at seven fifty, and waited under the awning. She was so happy, that she couldn’t have possibly known her life would get ruined in just five minutes.

There it was, a loud screech of a car trying to stop. Linda's head quickly snapped in the direction of the noise, just in time to see a white delivery truck skid into her boyfriend, with a terrifying "clunk" as each wheel rode over hid broken body. She ran to him, screaming and with tears streaming down her eyes. She held his head in her lap, he was dying. He was trying to say something, but Linda couldn't understand. With one final breath, his eyes grew dim and Linda was alone. She grasped the head up to her chest, and she let out a mournful wail. Terrified onlookers were running everywhere, but she didn't notice. All she could sense was Robert's still warm blood on her clothes, and his head in her arms. That's when she noticed a piece of paper in his hand. She slowly grasped the paper with a shaky hand and unfolded it. It was a song that he had written for her, and mixed in the song was a proposal to marriage.

I'm not sure how long she stayed there, crying while a panicked and confused world rushed around her. But I did know that I was worried for her safety. The last time I saw Linda was at Robert's funeral, and than she was wearing all black gloves and a black veil, completely hiding her face from view. She didn't speak through the whole ceremony, and I was worried. Eventually, I decided I was worried enough to set up a dinner with her to see how she was holding up.

At first I couldn't even recognize her. Her hair was completely black and spiked in a slightly gothic style. Her cloths were all black, and she was wearing knee high boots. Her face was paper white, and she had dark circles, either from makeup or lack of sleep around her bloodshot eyes.
"How are you holding up?" I asked her in a soothing voice.

She only mumbled something in return. I wasn’t happy to see her in this whole Goth getup, and when she wouldn't talk to me thought the whole dinner, I just got more worried.
After a while of thinking about it, I realized her cloths were just a way of getting out her pain, but I still didn’t think it was healthy. Through out the week, I tried to call her, but she wouldn’t answer her phone. Eventually I just went to her apartment and opened the door, which wasn’t even locked.

Her eyes were even more bloodshot, and the circles around her eyes were darker. Her cloths were the same as they were in the beginning of the week, but they were wrinkled and stained, with what looked like blood around the wrists. I could tell she had lost a huge amount of weight, and I started to really worry.

"Linda, have you gotten any sleep at all?"

"I wont sleep, for I hear him every night. He sings too me, George. It is the song he wrote for me, the song that was going to start a lifetime of love. But nothing has changed, for even in death our love will stay strong." she said in a dreamy voice.

That wasn't healthy. I can tell by the bloodstains on her shirt she was already cutting her self, and she really needed to seek help. I couldn't leave her alone. "Linda, I think I stay at your place tonight, it can be like old times?" The old times I was referring to was ten years ago when we were in high school. Every weekend we would stay up all night just talking and whatnot.

"Fine I guess, I don't really care." The way she said it... it was chilly. Almost as if there were nothing left inside of her.

I went to the fridge to find something for us to eat, but there was no food in the apartment. Once I came back I found Linda already in bed. From the dampness of her cheeks and pillow, and the soft sobs, she was crying again.

I unrolled a sleeping bag in front of the bedroom door, so she couldn't leave without me knowing. Every now and then I would here a little commotion coming from the bed room, and it would always end with the pathetic sound of sobs before she would just sleep for a few minutes.

At about two o'clock in the morning, Linda got up and opened the bedroom door. Her hair was perfectly straight and cared for, and she was wearing a flowing white dress. I immediately jumped out of the sleeping bag and followed her. I could hear her humming, but the tune was unfamiliar. I tried to stop her once she reached the door, but she looked at me with such dead eyes and said,"Stand Aside."I than thought it would be a good plan just to follow her and see where she went. She just wondered the streets for a while, and found her way to the town's cemetery.

Just as I thought, she went straight to Robert's grave. She began to tenderly stroke the earth, as if it were her dead boyfriend. All the while she was humming, only stopping to utter words of soothing.

"Don't be afraid, I will be with you soon." was the phrase that got my attention.
Before I could do anything, Linda had a knife in her hand. I lunged at her and ripped the knife from her hand.

"Linda! What are you doing, have you lost your senses?"

"No, I have lost my life. Without him I am nothing, I am dead inside. If I am already dead inside, I might as well finish the job on the outside as well." By this time the wind had picked up, blowing her black hair and dress in the wind. She almost looked magical, standing there in the wind screaming at me to end her life.

By this time I was looking at her in a dazed sort of trance. She seized the opportunity and stole the knife out of my hand.

Before I could do anything she thrust the blade through her chest, and let out a weekend laugh.

"It is all right my love, I am on my way. Our love will last for ever in the after world. Because though people may die... real love is forever." And with those words she crawled over to the tombstone and laid herself down upon it.She looked briefly over at me, than back to the tombstone.
By this time I was out of my trance and rushing toward her. By the time I got to her she was dying.

"I... I'm on my way Robert." And with those final words she started humming. She continued the melody as I was screaming for help. The humming turned to an odd gurgle when a blob of blood oozed out of her mouth, like a dark, putrid, unholy and river. She let out her last breath, and her eyes grew dim.

I grabbed her arm, praying for a pulse, but I found none. I gently picked up her head and patted down her hair and closed her eyes for the last time. She was at piece now.

I will always remember the funeral. Linda's parents, dressed in black, couldn't even speak a word without letting out mournful sobs. Everyone was dressed in black, and the coffin was an ivory white. The priest said the few respectful words and I walked up to the coffin and placed my hand on it.

"I will truly miss you Linda. You were my best friend, and I will never forget you."

At the end of the ceremony they lowered the coffin in the grave, next to Robert's. As I read the tombstone, I slowly made a small slit on my wrist.

Linda Black, 1972-2003. Even in Death their love will live on.