Farewell Isn't Enough

"Love, can you assist me with this? I don't want Jane's last memories with me to be sorrowful," Elizabeth said to her husband, gazing fondly at their 5-year-old daughter playing innocently. "My love, this effort..." Edgard replied, looking at his wife with concern, knowing that her departure was imminent and, despite his wishes, nothing could annul God's will. "These days, grant us the best days, please," Elizabeth lovingly entreated, nestling against her husband. "I won't be able to fulfill my promise to accompany you into old age. I'll be rid of the stress of caring for the two nuisances in my life. God spared me from that." "You're still the same i***t who captivated me ten years ago. You never change. I love you," Edgard commented as he kissed Elizabeth's forehead... On a cloudy Sunday, people dressed in black, gentle sobs, and a wooden bed with her mother lying amidst everyone... That's all little Jane could innocently perceive. It wasn't until many years later that she realized she was attending her mother's funeral. "Dad, why is Mommy sleeping with so many people talking? I'll wake her up so we can go back home. It's going to rain and get cold, and Mommy doesn't like the cold," Jane said innocently, looking at her father. Edgard struggled to hold back tears, wanting to keep his promise to preserve the last memory intact... The funeral speeches, sermons, and final prayers concluded. It was time to bid the last farewell and bury... "Come, daughter, let's buy Mommy some coffee. That will make her happier," Edgard took Jane by the hand, creating an excuse to take her away from there. "Mommy prefers hot chocolate with whipped cream, Dad," Jane replied. "You're absolutely right, my little princess. Dad's getting old, I'm getting things mixed up," Edgard replied, smiling at his daughter as they walked. They soon arrived at the cafe. The daughter energetically ran to the counter to see her favorite sweets. "Daddy, this one," Jane pointed. "Yes, daughter, I'm coming," Edgard replied as he approached the counter to place their orders and payment. "My condolences, Mr. Foster. Everything's on the house today," the cafe manager whispered, looking at the distracted girl. "Daddy, don't forget Mommy's coconut sweet. She's always hungry when she wakes up, and I want one too. Let's eat together, hehe," Jane commented, pointing to the coconut sweet with a mischievous look. "Are you going to tell her?" the cafe manager whispered, looking sadly at the man with red eyes in front of him. "When she's older, she'll understand," Edgard replied, receiving their orders. "Let's go home, daughter... See you next time, Kleber," Edgard said as he called for his daughter. Father and daughter returned home, one completely unaware of what was happening and the other trying to be as strong as possible not to collapse and to protect his daughter... That same day, bedtime arrived. "Dad, when is Mom coming? Eight days ago, she said she would tell me the story of how she met you," Jane said, looking at her father. "Today, Dad will tell it, and one day Mom will tell it too, okay?" Edgard sat lovingly on his daughter's bed and began to narrate passionately how he met his beloved... "If your mother were here, she would surely tell a version where Dad is quite clumsy, but Dad's version is true." As they talked, Jane once again asked where her mother was, and with all the wisdom that comes from above, Edgard took a deep breath with a forced smile and replied: "Mommy is with Jesus. She went there to rest for a while, but she'll be back soon, or... or we'll go to her, hehe." "Ebba, so when Jesus comes to visit us, will she come with Him? We just need to pray that Jesus comes soon, Papa, so Mommy won't be away for too long," Jane responded excitedly. "Yes, whenever Jesus comes, He'll bring messages for Mommy. But Mommy can't come until she finishes her work." Years passed, and Jane grew older. At the age of 8, she understood that her mother wouldn't return from "work" with Jesus and that in fact, she hadn't even gone to work. That distant memory of seeing her mother sleeping amidst everyone while some people cried was her mother's funeral, and her mother would only return when Jesus wanted to... A child's heart never gives up; on the contrary, it persists in hope. She continued to pray, hoping that when Jesus came, He would allow her to see her mother, even if only for a few seconds. Finally, at the age of 14, Jane uttered one last prayer: "Lord Jesus, all the girls at school have their mothers around them. They bully me, mock me because I'm an orphan because Dad does everything that should be Mom's job. I'm tired of this. Is there no way to bring Mom back? If not, take me; nothing makes sense anymore... At that moment, little Jane reached her limit, thinking that Jesus wouldn't help her, and apparently, He didn't. Jane lost her passion for going to church, only going to not "disappoint" her father. It didn't make sense to her to go to a place where she simply didn't "feel" any pleasure because her long-standing wish wasn't fulfilled. "Mr. Foster, you'll need to undergo chemotherapy. The problem is getting worse," said the doctor who had been following the family since Jane was 2 years old. "No, Doctor, I can hold on a little longer. Wait at least until Jane goes to university," Edgard Foster replied. "OK..." Looking at the man in his forties with a strong gaze but a clearly downtrodden face, the doctor agreed helplessly. "Thank you so much, our incredible Doctor!" Edgard replied promptly, smiling as if everything were fine. "Haha," he smiled. "Don't thank me; I'll have to send my best technician to accompany you EVERY day, ALL day until we start chemotherapy," replied the doctor, looking seriously at the list of available technicians to provide medical care for her patient and longtime friend. There's nothing harder than watching a friend die slowly, and seeing "fate" decide, despite the enormous effort made. As a doctor, Mary had witnessed how cruel fate could be, but she had also witnessed things she couldn't explain with all the knowledge she had acquired in her 23-year career. With all the "faith" she had this time, she decided to do her best not to lose this patient, hoping that her good friend would be on the winning side of the coin tossed by cruel Fate. Tuesday morning, less than 7 days before Jane went to her dream university and finally became free, she was already preparing to live what she had always wanted, a life of fun, parties, and... certainly far away from the church. "Good morning, Dad! Did you have a good night?" Jane greeted enthusiastically, and before her father could... hey guys!! this is the first chapter, I hope you like it !