Short Story
Short Story
The List
T
By Hee Jung Byun he dripping sound from the IV and the scribbles of the dull pencil permeated the quiet room.“ Number 13: Go to Disneyland!“ Chloe burst out, breaking the silence in her room. She carefully wrote it down in her notebook.
“ Chlo, you don’ t even like amusement parks. I don ' t get why on Earth you would want to go there!” Rita replied, getting annoyed with her friend’ s increasingly depressing list.“ If you’ re going to make this stupid list, at least have the events on it make sense!”
“ I know, but they are such classic things to do, aren’ t they?” Chloe answered absentmindedly, already moving on to number 14.“ All the other people I read about put that on their list. Oh, how about this? Number 14: eating snails.”
“ Gosh Chloe! Just stop it, please. I understand that you ' re upset and still processing the news, but it ' s been 4 months of this. That list all you ever talk about anymore.”
“ No! You don’ t understand Rita! If you did, you wouldn’ t be talking to me like this” Chloe screamed at Rita.“ Do you know what it feels like to be dying? To go to bed every night wondering if you ' ll ever seen the sun again?. To look out your window and hate everybody just living their mundane lives because you know you won’ t be able to do half the things they’ re doing? So look me in the eyes and tell me again Rita. Do you really understand what I’ m going through?”“ Chloe” Rita whispered, realizing what she had just said.“ I’ m sorry. I really didn’ t mean it like that. I just didn’ t want you to be so obsessed with that list. Come on Chloe, you’ re my best friend. We don’ t need a list of things to do just to have a good time together”
“ See! I knew you didn ' t understand. Can’ t you see, this list, this book is my life. With this list, I have a purpose in life, I have things to dream about and a future to plan about. I don’ t have to just sit in this bed, praying that the next time I try to breathe, my lungs won’ t collapse.” The monitor above Chloe’ s bed started to beep, indicating that Chloe’ s blood pressure was rising to a dangerous level.“ Just leave me alone Rita. Just leave.” Guilt consumed Rita. Everyday for the next three weeks, Rita tried to visit Chloe in the hospital, but the nurse would stop her and tell her Chloe was on a trip with her family. Until one day... All Rita got was a phone call from Chloe’ s mother telling Rita that Chloe was dead and her funeral was going to be held the next day.“ Brothers and sisters, we gather here today to pay tribute to our sister, Chloe
Alexis Connors.” The pastor said, starting the service, but to Rita, the words started to fuse together into incoherent mumbles. When Rita finally snapped back into reality the pastor was already reading Chloe’ s will“‘ And to Rita, I leave all our polaroid pictures and the list’”
One of the service workers handed her a nondescript box. Inside were the pictures Chloe took over the course of their 8-year friendship and the teal notebook that Chloe spend her last days filling up. All the events inside were checked off except the last one
“ Spend time with the people I love,” it read. Rita felt tears gathering in her eyes. Chloe was able to accomplish all the things she wanted to, but not with the people she loved.
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