Living After Dying

There are several theories about the afterlife. Some say, after death, the soul would reunite with God. Some say, the soul would watch over its nears and dears. I believed in neither of them. It was a very normal day for me. I went to school at seven thirty in the morning with a gloomy expression 'cause I hated school, talked to my friends about really weird things, tried to study in class, came back home, fought with my brother and had dinner with my family except with my father. The thing was, my father was addicted to alcohol, we tried our best to help him get rid of this addiction. But he was not willing enough. We were almost sure that our father won't live to see the sixtieth birthday. He was fifty-five at that time. Doctors had already warned him about the risk. But... he loved alcohol more than he loved his own life. Now, don't get me wrong here. We loved our father. And I am pretty sure he loved us too. He just didn't know how to express his love. So, I was on my way back from school one day, when I felt just a tiny bit dizzy. I thought at first that it was because of all the sleepless nights I had spent watching some Korean dramas. As a result, I just shrugged it off and went on. After I reached home I was having a normal conversation with my mother when I suddenly felt a lump inside me. I went to the sink and coughed it out. It was pitch red. I assumed it was so because of the pollution (I lived in Delhi, what do you expect). But just to be on a safer side my mother decided to take me to our family doctor. And that's when we found out that I have less than ten months left with me. I did not cry, I did not complain, and throw a fit. No. I did something far more weird in that situation sitting in front of my doc. I laughed. I laughed like crazy. As if I had gone mad. The doc and mother were looking at me with a stunned expression. My mom had gone expressionless. "What's wrong?" I asked my mother on the way back home. "Do you not believe the doctor?" "I believe him. He is a doctor for gods' sake! Why would I not believe him?!" I asked. She just looked really scared. "Hey, mom. Why do you think I laughed back at the clinic? It is not because I have gone mad. I just realized how fragile a human body is. Plus now I will do the things I thought were embarrassing without the fear of being judged! I mean in the end I won't be there for the consequences of my actions! How awesome do you think is that?!" I explained. After the next few weeks, I was finally successful in convincing my parents not to put me in chemo. Because one, it would cost us a fortune. Two, we were middle-class people who could not afford to spend money on things which would not bear any fruit in the future. I knew that even after spending a huge amount, my chances of survival were very slim. Now, don't think my parents were irresponsible and did not care for their daughter. Because I know how sad and worried they were for me. They were helpless. And I knew how much they were suffering. My brother was eight years older than me and had just landed a secure job. My remaining life was very memorable. My parents did everything they could just for the sake of making me smile. I was allowed to watch as many Korean dramas, sitcoms, movies, stand-up comedy I could. They would make me laugh. They took me out for dinner and even for a holiday. Although I appreciated their effort, I was sad from inside. Because I had always dreamt of my future. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I had imagined my future in some far away country, with my parents. treating them to dinner with my own hard earned money, talking about how stressful my job in HR was. My father and brother gave me advice on how to handle work pressure, while on the other hand mom would talk about which country to choose for our next tour and plan it. Then, I would tell them I have a boyfriend, and they would freak out and pity the guy with whom I was spending all my free time with. Then my brother and father would give death threats to the guy when I first introduce him to them. And then, in the end, I would have a wedding and our small family would live happily for the rest of our life. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- But I guess, I did not have that much time anymore. There were several times when I would just start crying out of nowhere. And my friends would find this weird, as I had not told them anything. I decided not to tell them because I knew they would start treating me differently. Of course, my body was going weak, I was rapidly losing weight. I was a chubby girl so the sudden weight loss did not go unnoticed by my close friends. Whenever they would question me as to why I was taking so many pills while still in school, I used tell them off by saying- oh this? these are just some diet pills, which is why I am, you know, gaining a good figure. But in the end, they all came to know. Supposedly, in my 'last days' when I stopped going to school suddenly, they all showed up at my place. At that time, they saw my weak body and realized that I was sick. They looked devastated after I told them. They were mad at me. My friend Sameer who I never once saw sad, was right now, crying his heart out in front of me. Later they started spending more time with me and took care of me like I was their child. They were always at my place after school and stayed up till late. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I was ready to sleep that day. suddenly I felt a strong urge to hug my family. As if I knew this was my last and final night with them. So I talked to everyone. I called up my friends to just 'generally' check up on them and finally went to bed. I thanked my family and friends silently in my mind for the wonderful life they helped me live. And then, I went to sleep... ================================================================================================================================================================