Cold Days and Bittersweet Stories

One Final Date

"Let... me... go..." Tears released as she sobbed and yelled out loud. Sweat of hers I could feel from her neck, so soft, delicate, and pale. Her face, a mix of colors and moods, red and blue, short of breath; she struggled prettily, as if without a care of the world. As I looked at her, she looked like an angel, felt like an angel, rising from divine beauty and falling from immense difficulty. Moments passed as I heard the siren for assistance. Lights of hues talking red and blue shone mercilessly as if in anxiety. She laid there, hopeless, bright, pale, blue...

"Actress Beatrice Margarette A. Lux is now buried at Orchidburg Sanctuary Gardens this morning. She died at 27 years old due to asphyxiation caused by neck strangulation. May we all offer our prayers to the family of the lost..." The television showed news more devastating than ever. As I watched the television closely up above, I heard a slight whisper up towards my ear. "Are you ready now? It's almost time for our last date, love." It was Betty. She'd remembered truly. "You'll have me for the rest of the day until 9:27 P.M., understood? Now, we've got a lot to do today, so move already, won't you?" She'd whispered again. "Fine... Only because I'll get to spend the day with you one last time." The wind weakened. "Sure enough, love!" Her face, purely white, bright, beautiful, the face of an actress it is quite.

I grabbed the room's phone. It was the only way to get out. "You have to watch the show tonight. The kiss scene had the most impact in the ratings!" The ground shook a bit as the way has been paved. "Where shall we go first today?" Betty answered, "Let's go to La Choux first. That's where we first had our date, wasn't it?" She led the way as I smiled, watching her arms sway, her dress, white as her skin, nearly transparent, waving throughout smoothly. Her hair was also pale and bright white, knowing how long has it been since we last saw each other. Her eyes, red? Mixed are her eyes with her black pupils, pink and pale lips, her face, nearly white. Oddly, she almost took the color of white from my life. Her neck still looks as soft and gentle as before. Her complexity, nearly blinding my eyes, too, took the color so pure.

9:27 ante-meridian. "Why do you have to do this? Won't you just forget about everything!? You're already hurting me..." The place has been surrounded by policemen. It never felt so hostile like this when we first had our date eight years ago. We both went inside. "One table for two, please." How odd... The receptionist was shocked just by looking at us. "Okay?.." Something felt weird. Nonetheless, we both got to our seats. As the waiter approached us, he almost felt frightened and uneasy. "I'll have the Clam Chowder and the Garlic Bread, please. What will you have, Betty?", "Oh, nothing. I'll just share with you, if you wish.", "Sure enough, love! That will be all..." The waiter too had turned white suddenly. He then left us, rushing to the kitchen. Moments from then, the food was served. "Do you still remember, love? Today was supposed to be our eighth anniversary..." She'd a frown on her face as I realized. We both fell silent for the rest of the time being.

11:30 ante-meridian. "Wish me successful on my career, won't you? I'll be going to my audition then, goodbye! I love you..." We both left La Choux and headed towards Orchidburg Park to visit Serene Lake. This was where we both had our first kiss. "Honey, why don't we relive our first kiss as if it, too, would be our last?" I couldn't resist nor ignore her request, so I grabbed her by the neck with both of my hands and upon a small grasp, we kissed. Afterwards, she had the look of disgust and discomfort as if she'd despised what I did. She looked down as if upset. I looked at her hair, lustrous, almost as pale as her skin, whitish, it feels almost supernatural. I looked around, and passersby who saw us turned their face with disgust, shock, and surprise. Policemen also kept close to the area, making the mood of the place horribly absurd. "Betty, why don't we go to the pier? The mood here makes me a bit uncomfortable..." She nodded joyfully as if she really doesn't care about the situation.

12:00 noon. "Hey, love... Before I die, I just want to have one final date with you. That's all I wish if ever things don't turn out well." We both went on the way to the pier. We then passed by her workplace. She looked away as her fellow colleagues passed by us. They all looked at us with fear and fright. We both ignored them and moved on. For lunch, we both bought a hotdog from a stand near the pier. She didn't want to eat, which is odd concerning that she has the biggest appetite for food I've ever met. We arrived at the pier, where we made quite nice memories. We once did it in the Ferris wheel, not that anyone knows or anything... We also won our first pet dog here five years ago from a shooting game which she clearly won from training due to work reasons. But come to think of it, I haven't seen our pet Lily since last week. She hasn't returned home, back to me since... She looked around and then glanced at me. She frowned, looking depressed and regretful. She felt as if she was fading. She went whiter as she frowned more. I felt the feeling of awe as I looked at her. I held her gentle hand and asked, "Betty, are you alright?" She then looked at me, surprised. "Sure, I'm fine, dear!" She had quite a smile you couldn't really resist. It's as if she's reliving what she was nearly eight years ago. "Why don't we go back to my apartment before we head to our last destination, dear?" I nodded as we passed by the policemen tightening the hostility of the surroundings.

2:45 post-meridian. "Why do you have to make a big deal out of it!? It was just a kiss! I still love you, dear; you're taking things too far!" The neighborhood felt so empty just after a week passed. We both went inside the convenience store near her apartment to buy some popsicles. The store was crowded, inside and out, by policemen. The cashier was almost infuriated because of that. We used to split the popsicles in half back in the day. Now, as I offered her to split with me, she held the stick, but refused to let go. I forced to let go, but she released her grasp and made a sad face. I comforted her and patted her back, but it felt airy as I patted. We both continued on to her apartment and on the way, sordid looks we would receive from the tenants and the by-passers. Betty kept a flat mood as I felt more concerned. The door to her apartment was blocked and taped, but for some reason, she could enter. I had rather sat and leaned on the door as she explored inside. I took a nap and counted policemen as she enjoyed it in there. It was dusk when she woke me up. "Oh, the memories... Although I have to question why there was blood inside and why my clothes last week were lying there..." She then handed me a note. In it contained the lyrics to our favorite song. It was used as a soundtrack for the show she made me watch before. We both sang our hearts as the night swept by quickly and as my tears fell down on to her heart-shaped rug I was sitting on... As we left her apartment, I heard her ask something once again. "Do you still love me, even after what happened?" I couldn't answer her as I was crying, and I instead hugged her tightly as the past had stabbed me once again... "You know what to do by now, right? Eight flowers: three violets, three roses, one cadena de amor, and one white chrysanthemum; crepes suzette, a bottle of Magnolia Blossom, and the letter, you still have it, right?" I nodded as we went on our own ways, as per agreed to meet at the Orchidburg Sanctuary Gardens later.

7:00 post-meridian. "But... I thought... I loved you... You monster... Let... me... go... What did I... do... to... deserve this... and deserve... you..." I had rushed to buy all that was needed, and to sum it all up, some were easy to find and some were not. Nevertheless, the police surrounded the marketplace. Vendors felt too uneasy around there. The chrysanthemum took most of my time as it was as rare as austere blue moonlight. I then went back to La Choux to buy her crepes suzette and her bottle of Magnolia Blossom. The two were her favorites and they would always cheer her up regardless of the intensity of the mood. I then rushed to the Orchidburg Sanctuary Gardens to meet Betty. She was waving, vaguely to be seen as she shone so bright that my eyes had gone blind. We both sat down at the grave of deceased actress Beatrice Margarette Lux and spread all the items she'd made me buy. I laid the crepes suzette on the grave and spread a bit of the Magnolia Blossom on the grave. "Adrian, thanks for doing all of these." She grinned beautifully, her eyes expressing ecstasy, her skin paler and paler as time waded, her dress becoming nearly clear and transparent, her body nearly fading... It was 9:20 post-meridian. Before she left, Betty said, "Adrian, despite what you did, never forget that I'll be fine and that I'll cherish you wherever I'll go and that... I forgive you. You never meant to hurt me, and that I clearly know. The Beatrice Margarette Lux everyone knows might have already died, but the Betty in front of you and the one you know and adore will stay one last time to address my farewell to you, dear... Never forget to smile for me, okay? Goodbye, Adrian, I love you..." As she faded nearly into nothingness, she grabbed my face and slowly our lips, colliding, planets rotating, light being swallowed by a void so powerful, heaven falling down, so are my tears, my saliva, her feelings, my actions, regret, the past, memories, policemen watching, the siren wailing, reliving that moment I killed my love... Slowly, we kissed. The more time passed, the more she'd faded into thin air... It was 9:27 post-meridian.

"Hi! I am Beatrice Margarette Lux, but call me Betty. I fancy being called nicknames with dates just so no one would recognize me by my name. You seem fair, kind, and handsome... I might just like you...", "I'm Adrian, and-oh... you look even more dazzling personally!", "Betty... I'm sorry... You might mot hear this anymore, but I love you...", "Sir? Mr. Charion, sir? Are you ready to go now?", "Mr. Adrian Liam M. Charion, actress Beatrice Margarette A. Lux's boyfriend, is guilty for the murder and homicide of the said actress due to strangulation.", "Yes, I'm feeling better now... Take me away. Satisfied am I...", "Betty, thank you for everything..."