It had been two hours since they had been in the emergency room. Vanessa couldn’t take the news that she’d gotten after taking that call. She hung up the phone. She fell. Her heart had stopped.
Nikki prayed. Vanessa lay on the hospital bed. She was balled into a fetal position and constantly rocked back and forth.
“It can’t be true! Why couldn’t we have seen it? Helped her? Did something!?” Vanessa paused and started to cry again.
Nikki rubbed Nessa’s back. “We just didn’t know. I’m fighting back depression, blaming everybody, or doing something I’d later regret. Besides, she wouldn’t want us to do anything crazy.”
Nessa’s face reddened. “How would you know? We didn’t see this coming?”
The doctor came in. His eyes has heavy, dark circle underneath. It seemed like the doctor needed to be in the bed instead of Vanessa.
“You’re fine. Just get this prescription filled for some anti-depressants and you’ll be all set.” He started to leave.
“Dr. Timordine, can we stay here a little bit?”
He nodded his head and left.
Two days later.
The funeral was set for Monday. Nikki stood in the kitchen making a quick call.
“Mom, she won’t answer. Can I walk down there?” asks worriedly.
“Hurry back so you won’t miss dinner.” She and Nikki had planned to invite Vanessa and her family over for dinner.
Nikki sprinted down the blocks to Vanessa house. The doorbell rang twice. No answer. Nikki ran around the side of the house. The garage was empty.
Shake, Shake. Badonk. It sounded like boxes rumbling.
“What are you doing, Ness?” Nikki looked around.
“Nick, come sit. Remember this? We all wore these to Rachel’s grandma’s funeral.”
Nikki picked up the black hats that were on top in the box. Water made its trek down her face. A curve stretched across it as well.
“Remember what Rachel said they meant to her?” The both said it simultaneously. “Black is the non-existence of color. Therefore it is the most beautiful of all.”
They sat still and made remarking expressions of blissful memories.
After awhile, Vanessa walked with Nikki back to her house. At the kitchen table, Vanessa then excused herself and hinted Nikki.
“Mom can you excuse us?”
Nikki’s mom glanced at both of the girl’s half empty plates and nodded.
Nikki and Vanessa lay flat on their backs on the soft sky-blue comforter.
On the day of the funeral, everyone outside the church started to enter slowly. The girls entered the church wearing black gowns. Nikki held a third hat.
During viewing time, everyone passed by the white casket surrounded by pink blossoms. Some stopped to give condolences to Rachel’s parents. Finally the girls approached their friend’s casket. Nikki placed the hat on the stomach of the corpse. Both then lay tight fists on their friend’s chest with one open hand on their own. Then they released the fist. Vanessa prayed.