Last Moments - Cari Arthur (book club recommendations .txt) 📗

savor the moment. She pretended she were part of this family. She pretended that she and her brother were playing hide and seek. When she opened the door, all pretence of the situation she was in came to a firm halt. Cassidy gasped. There were two windows framed with light blue window treatments. There was a rocking chair in the corner. The very one the grandmother must have sat in for the picture that was taken and mounted on the mantel. The room was pleasantly decorated with floral wallpaper. There was an antique bookshelf on one wall filled with old books and magazines. But Cassidy did not notice any of those things her eyes were fixed on one thing. Her wide eyes never left the bed. There was a lump under the covers. Surely, it couldn’t be what she thought. She approached the side of the bed and there on the pillow laid the exquisite face of the lady in the picture. It was the grandmother. She lay there as if she was sleeping but she wasn’t sleeping. She was dead. On the bedside table was a pillbox with large blue pills inside. Cassidy picked up the pillbox. The sticker on the front read:
For the left behind, should you desire to leave before the asteroid hits earth take two pills. In a few minutes you will feel sleepy. Once you fall asleep your body will quietly shut down. There will be no pain. You will not suffer. God bless you and guide you to a better place. The Mercy Foundation
Cassidy fell into the chair beside the bed. She stared at the pill bottle for what felt like hours. She remembered the newscast that she had been forced to watch. People were left behind. The elderly and terminally ill as well as all the convicts in the jails were left behind to die. This Mercy Foundation must have provided these. What had we become? Where had humanity gone? This woman died here alone with no family to sit by her and hold her hand. She fell asleep and died alone. No one would be gathering at her passing to appreciate the woman she was. Cassidy clutched the teddy bear she was holding. Then she reached into her pocket and pulled out the letter she had found earlier.
Unfolding the letter she noticed that it appeared to have been read many times. There where tiny folds and crinkles in the paper. The letter was written in pencil and was smudged in many places. These smudges seemed to be due to the many tears that were shed over this goodbye.
Dear Nana,
It is hard for me to find the words to say goodbye to you. I cannot even imagine my life without you. For all my ten years you have been there for me. You have held me when I was sad. You told me funny stories about our family. It’s not fair that you cannot come with us. I hate it. I hate that you will not be there with me as we move to this new planet. I don’t want to go. I don’t want to leave you. Mom says I have to. I would stay with you if I could. I would Nana because I love more than anything.
Mom says that you will go to heaven. She says that you will just fall asleep and Jesus will come take you home. I believe her but it doesn’t make it any easier. I don’t want you to go to heaven I want you to stay with me. I know I cannot change that and I am sorry.
I am taking the picture of you and me. The one where we were swinging together under the old tree. I will keep it forever. When I look at it I will think of you and smile. Like you always told me to do. Smile and you will be happy. Well Nana I cannot smile now. How can I when I am leaving my best Nana behind. You are always my best Nana. I will remember all the good times we shared. You are always in my prayers. I will see you again when Jesus comes to take me home. Mom says you will be watching over me always. I will keep you in my heart Nana. I love you always and forever.
Ilana
Cassidy closed her eyes. After today she didn’t think she would have any tears left. She tucked the letter and the teddy bear under the sheets with Ilana’s Nana. The old woman had light grey hair. Her face was withered with age but there was a hint of the beauty she must have had when she was younger. The woman looked frail in the bed but there was a smile on her face. Cassidy imagined that the moments before her death she was thinking of all the wonders she saw in her life. Quietly, Cassidy put the pill box in her pocket and left the room. She leaned up against the door and prayed something she hadn’t done since she was little. She prayed for all the people left behind and the people who would never see their loved ones again. Then she wiped her tears and went downstairs. She would not share this with Michaela. Michaela was not able to handle this now. She had suffered enough already.
Michaela was watching the broadcast on television. It still amazed Cassidy that the electricity was on and the television was working. You would think in the event of the end of the world technology would stop working. In this case, they had left it all on. They left it on for the people who were left behind. According to the unfamiliar face on the television, the asteroid would hit sometime Thursday evening, it was Tuesday. All the jails around the world would open their doors sometime in the morning. They would all have two days of freedom. The lucky ones like us would have three days, thought Cassidy. Three days of freedom, was it a curse or a gift?
Cassidy couldn’t stay in the house with Ilana’s dead grandmother upstairs in a sleep she would never wake up from. She didn’t want to tell Michaela about the pills, but she would when the time was right. Michaela had turned off the TV and had fallen back on the couch. It seemed like she would stay there until the end if she could.
“Michaela, I think we should find another house. Let’s walk around here a little. Maybe we can find something in this small town to do. We should also find a safe spot to stay for the night, before everyone in the jails are released.”
“Oook, if you think we should.” Michaela looked around the house. “Should we take anything with us?”
Somberly, Cassidy replied “I don’t think we need to.”
The two girls held hands as they left the small house. Cassidy had taken one of the family pictures with her. She didn’t know why she felt the need to stay connected to this family, but she did. As they walked out the door they saw a car in the driveway.
“I wonder if that works. I am going to go see if I can find the keys.” Cassidy ran back into the house to look.
“Wait Cassidy, don’t leave me here by myself.” Michaela wailed but she didn’t move towards the house. She was frozen in place with a look or terror on her face.
Cassidy ran back out to Michaela. “Hey I found the keys. I’m sorry. I won’t leave you like that again. Let’s go see if those wheels work. What do you want to do if they work?” Cassidy opened the driver’s side door and tried the engine.
“I really don’t know. It’s not like we have a lot of time. Do you even know where we are?”
The engine roared to life. Cassidy motioned for Michaela to get in the car.
“I don’t know exactly where we are but we cannot be far from Virginia Beach. If we are close, do you want to go there? We could go to the condo. All of our old stuff could still be there.” Cassidy realized this was wishful thinking. They had been missing for months.


The Memorial
They were not far from the beach. The drive had been quiet. Both Cassidy and Michaela were amazed by how deserted everything was. It felt like they were the only ones on the planet. Lights were on in convenience stores, grocery stores, shopping centers, and even houses. But no one was there.
“Michaela let’s go shopping.” Cassidy pulled into a small shopping center.
“But we don’t have any money.” Michaela looked like she would cry but instead she started laughing. She jumped out of the car and raced Cassidy into the department store. Everything you could possibly imagine was there. There were books, shoes, purses, clothes, and even food. The girl’s smiled at each other. Michaela grabbed a cart and started running through the store filling it with whatever she wanted. It was the happiest Cassidy had seen her in a while. They might be dead in just a few days but they would enjoy this while they could.
They tried on prom dresses, and bathing suits. Michaela put on some funny hats and shoes. Cassidy found the most expensive dress and decided she would wear it for the rest of the day. They were having fun. The problems of the world were momentarily forgotten. They both had carts full of clothes and food. They would take it all with them to the condo. Michaela came out of the dressing room with a beautiful velvet green dress on. She looked beautiful in it. She had taken the time to do her hair and make-up at the beauty counter.
“Michaela, you look great in that. You should just wear it all night,” said Cassidy noticing the resigned look in Michaela’s eyes.
“No, I am going to save this.” Said Michaela looking in the dressing room mirror
“Why save it,” Cassidy asked.
Michaela turned to face Cassidy. “I am going to save this dress. This is the dress I will die in.” Michaela walked into the dressing room. When she came out her face was serious. She had a pair of designer jeans on and a purple sequined top. The dress was in her hands and she carefully set it on her pile of other items. At that point, they both realized their shopping was over. They worked their way to the door stopping only to laugh at the cash registers. This is one time they would not be paying for anything.
The car approached the condos where the girls had last been seen. As Cassidy pulled into the parking lot in front of the place they once had so much fun, before everything in their world turned upside down, she saw something that caught her eye. Michaela had obviously seen it too because tears were falling down her face.
The condos were cream colored. Each was connected to others but they were definable. There were antique lights hanging by the doors. Some had porches with rocking chairs and swings. They all had little touches to show that even though they were connected and appeared very similar, they were not the same. These subtle differences showcased the taste of the tenant. Even with all these small differences, there was no way Michaela and Cassidy could not have recognized the condo they had rented. By the front door of their condo was an arrangement of flowers. It was a memorial; a memorial for them. Cassidy saw her picture and Michaela’s.