Lifespan Deathwatch

[Damien McEwan]

They continued sitting on the ground against the wall in the alley as another minute passed in their paired silence, broken only by the growl of the man's stomach.

Voicelessly, she pulled out one of the hot dogs from her to-go bag and gave it to him, and unwrapped the other for herself. Her dislike of the food didn't matter. He deserved to share his final meal with someone.

Afterwards, another few wordless minutes passed before he professed to her: "I remember you."

This rattled Jaina, but she kept her poker face.

She turned her neck to face him and after a couple of beats, she realized that she recognized him as well. He was the taxi driver.

Playing it straight, she said, "I remember you too."

She spent the next hour with him as he talked about his life since the crash.

She listened to his confessional of the deep remorse for the deaths he caused, the depression he spiraled into, the family he drove away, and the death he felt he deserves.

Eventually, after wiping the tears from his eyes, he asked her, "You're here to take me then?"

"Honestly," she replied, "that's entirely up to you...but yes."

"You can still change your mind," she continued, "It's not too late. If you want, I can help you."

"I appreciate the offer, but no thank you." he said with a quiet tone of finality.

Jaina's heart was completely crushed as those words rang deafeningly through her mind, but she just can't take any more pain today and continued to hide it.

She stood up, knelt to look him in the eye, and asked him: "Any last requests?"

Without hesitation he said, "Yes."

"Please don't let me die alone."

She held his face in her hands to complete the circuit, kissed him on the forehead, and told him:

"I won't let you die alone."

She turned her back when he pulled out the knife and asked her not to watch.

When he slid the blade up his veins, it made no sound.



She stood close by as she promised, and watched over him for the rest of his life.

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