“Hun, are you sure we can really afford spending this much on vacation? I am excited to get away, but do we really need to get the most expensive room at the most expensive resort?” Darla was always worrying about money even before I got sick.
I responded sarcastically to lighten the mood, “yes sweetheart, remember it is my dying wish. Our final memories together. Can you really put a price on that?”  I always use the sick card to get what I want, which may not seem fair, but hey, I am the one dying of an incurable disease.  We go to the hospital every month and every month I get the same prognosis. Incurable disease. Not much time left.  I think I am down to about 2 months or so until I should be a ticking time bomb.  Until then, I want to try to get as much living done as I can.  I want to enjoy my last few months with my wife and give her so many fun memories.  Our plan is to do everything, and to do everything, that costs us a lot of money.  Money that we do not have.  However, we did invest in a great life insurance policy, so when I die, my wife will be so stinkin rich.  Not fair that I have to die in order for that to happen. So, we decided to start that luxury living while I am still alive.  “Okay Jack, whatever you want. I hate what this trip is for but I am excited to do all that we have dreamed of.  Do you need help packing? What time is our flight tomorrow? Do you have all of your medications?” 
“No, I am done packing.  We fly out from the PHL airport at 9am. Yes all 32 of them. Let’s go get some sleep, we have a great month ahead of us.” Laying in bed thinking about all that we have planned, makes it all seem real.  I really am going to die, at least I better considering we are spending MY life insurance money. I pray to God that I make it through this trip without any medical emergencies and that when He decides it is my time to go, that Darla will be able to cling onto the memories of this trip. 
It was a bright, sunny Monday morning, I hear the alarm go off and instantly rise up.  I excitedly turn to Darla and say “HONEY, GET UP.  OUR ADVENTURE BEGINS NOW!!!” We get ready quickly, eat a filling breakfast of eggs, toast, and fruit and get out the door. I turn on a special playlist I created filled with jams from the 80s. It felt like we were back in the 80s, so young, carefree, and unaffected by disease.  We arrive at the airport just in time to hear our tickets being called, “All first class passengers for Flight 66 to Venice are now being boarded.” This is the first time either of us have ever flown first class. We sit comfortably and talk the entire flight. Darla tries to bring up money again, but I made it clear to her that money and sickness are not invited on this trip.  We arrive in beautiful Venice around dinner time.  We stroll around the small streets of Venice taking in all the culture.  We see gondolas, street painters, and mimes.  The Italian people are happy and loud.  We see couples kissing, families eating, and kids laughing.  “Benvenuto a La Casa de Vino!” An old Italian woman warmly welcomes us into her restaurant. 
“We will try a little bit of all your best wines and all of your best pasta dishes!” I was not going to hold back.  This month was going to be worth dying for.  We sampled all of their bests and ate and drank until we could no longer fit into our jeans.  I handed the waitress credit card #1. Approved.  Sweet!  We walk a few blocks to l' Hotel Grande and walk up into our master penthouse suite.  We have a jacuzzi, kitchen, balcony and an awesome view of Venice. This is exactly what I would die for. 
The next two weeks we do everything.  We take gondola rides around the city.  We go to all of the touristy sites.  We ate at a new restaurant every day. We went to vineyards and made our own wine.  Darla described our wine “as if we squished the grapes with dirty sweaty feet.” We were now halfway through our trip, halfway through our credit cards. Our time in Italy was perfect. It was romantic and beautiful.  Now, we are heading to South America to do more adventurous things. “I am afraid of heights, Jack.  Do you really expect me to do all of these things?”
“Yes, Darla. I know you can. I will be right there with you.  Worst case scenario is you die before me,” I said with a chuckle, but I know she didn’t appreciate that. The next two weeks were the most fun I have had in my whole life.  We went skydiving from 10,000 feet, did a zip-line through the Amazon Rainforest, took a helicopter ride above the mountains, went swimming with sharks and dolphins, and scuba diving with fish. Another 10 credit cards to get through those weeks.  It is our last day away. We decide to stay at the resort and do couple massages, order room service for meals and I will spend the day with my beautiful wife.  We looked back at our month of fun and adventure and remember all of the precious moments, knowing tomorrow it would be over.  “I never want this day to be over,” Darla said while running her fingers through my hair. We took the latest flight possible that day but it just wasn’t late enough.  I was not ready to go home to all the doctors and all the reminders of my sickness.  I hadn’t thought about it at all over the past month and now I have to sit around and wait to die.  I could die any day now. A month tops. We land in the PHL airport on a rainy Sunday night. The drive home is pretty quiet, we are back to reality. Darla breaks the silence, “Don’t forget we have an appointment tomorrow with Dr. King.” How could I forget. This is the appointment in which he will be saying that really any day I could just die.
“Yes, thanks sweetheart.” We get home and the house feels different.  It doesn’t feel like home. We go right to bed after the long day.
We are silent the whole way to the hospital. How can either one of us make small talk on the way to receive my death sentence?  We arrive and say hello to all the nurses and doctors as we walk down the all-too-familiar hallways. “Jack, Darla how is everything? How was your trip? How are you feeling Jack?” asked the nurse as she started the routine tests.  Once she is finished poking me, she sends the doctor in. “Hey guys, hope you had a great trip.  Last time you were in, Jack we put you on very strong trial medications in hopes to give you a few more months.  We just took some tests to see how they worked. We should have your test results in a few days and I will be giving you a call to let you know what the outlook is.  Have a great rest of your day.”  Darla and I thank the doctor and go home.  Anxiety casts over me as we wait for the dreaded phone call.  Will it be a few weeks? A few days? Did the medication work? Do we have a few more months? The days go by slowly.  We sit around and watch game shows, barely speaking.  Every time the phone rings my heart stops. This time it interrupts a girl about to win $500,000 on Deal or No Deal. “Hello? Oh, hi Dr. King.  What do you mean? Is that even possible? Yes, that is good news it’s just...thank you.  See you in a month. Bye Dr. King”  Darla stood up and anxiously asked what the doctor said. “Somehow, by some miracle, the meds worked. I am cured. I am not going to die.”  At first her face lit up and she smiled.  Then she realized what that meant.  Her expression changed in the blink of an eye.  She look mortified.
“Oh God, Jack. Oh my God. What the hell are we going to do?! We just spent all of your life insurance money.  How in the world are we going to pay for that vacation we just took? Credit card payments are going to be due within the next two months!”
“I know, baby.  I am so sorry.  I have no idea what we are going to do.”  I sat on the couch thinking about what we could do.  Darla went upstairs. When she came back down she had something behind her back. “What’s up, hun?  I know we are in a really bad position but I know we can figure this out together.”
“Jack, we spent the last month making our final memories.  I spent the last few months preparing myself to lose you.  I was so ready to lose you and was just finally accepting it.  There is no way we can figure out how to pay off 20 credit cards in two months.  There’s just no way.  We need that money.  And I am so sorry but this is the only way.”  She reveals what’s behind her back.
“Darla, honey, no. We can figure this out.  You don’t have to do this. Please, I just got my life back.  Please put the gun-” Bang.