A Day in A Life of Death

TWO

*wedding song*

*church bells ringing*

I’m now standing here in the aisle of this small abandoned church that is creepy as hell. I got this radio at the side playing a wedding song matching the bells to make it more realistic. It’s kinda dark and dusty over here but it’s just fine. No need to be fancy in this rush wedding.

Okay I feel like I’m going to vomit by just thinking of the word WEDDING.

I’m here waiting for my…

Future wife.

Ugh I can’t believe that I’m saying this to myself. How peculiar this moment would be!!! All throughout my life being a grim reaper I’ve never encountered such a crazy woman like this. THIS KINDA CRAZY. A CRAZY CRAZY.

“Psst, congratulations” I automatically let out a big sigh as I heard her voice, none other than my truly supportive friend. Now I’m stuck with these annoying moments again. I really hate this day.

“Shut up Nemesis”

“I never thought that you will going to marry like this, you’re a grown up man already Thanatos”

“I said shut up” I’m getting so annoyed here I feel like I want to back out any moment now.

“Don’t shut up me I’m your priest here”

*Door opens*

Our conversation just stopped when the door finally opened as the bride started to show up. I stared at her and I couldn't believe that she’s the soul that I’m talking to earlier. She looks different, I must say that her clipped hair suits nicely to her face that’s glowing right now. Why is it glowing so different? She only wears this simple white cocktail dress but it seems like it’s so good on her.

“She’s beautiful isn’t she? I helped her with her look”

“She’s not… b-beautiful, Nemesis. It’s just… fine, not beautiful”

“*sarcastic laugh* You still don't want to admit it huh, your wife is beautiful”

“She’s not my wife!”

“She will be, anytime soon Thanatos” Arghhh she’s getting on my nerves. I don’t know if she’s really my friend or what. Most of the time I just want to kick her in the ass and leave.

“Be quiet now Nemesis, she’s starting to walk towards me”

“Of course, she should walk towards you”

“Shh!!!” I should’ve put a duct tape on her mouth for her to stop blabbing around.

After a few seconds of slow walking, Mara is already at my side giving me her hand. Wait, what should I do? Why is she giving me her hand? Is this a part of the ceremony or something?

“HOLD HER HANDS YOU STUPID GRIM REAPER”

“I’M NOT STUPID NEMESIS”

“THEN HOLD HER”

“ALRIGHT!!!” I immediately hold Mara’s hand and walk her near Nemesis, who’s acting as a lady priest. We don’t have any other choice. We can’t get a male soul just for this, besides, it’s just an act.

“*laugh* You two are really funny together”

“Well it’s not funny for me Mara” then I glanced at her seriously. The smile on her face automatically fades away.

“I’m sorry,” Okay now she’s acting like she’s sad from what I said? WHAT?! I’M JUST STATING MY SIDE HERE. SHE’S BEING SO SENSITIVE.

“The stupid grim reaper should not make her bride sad”

“Shut u--”

“Oh oh oh Thanatos… don’t say any word right now, remember you requested this from me. I just offered my help to Mara to be her stylist and you’re the one who asked me to be your priest here. Let’s start the wedding shall we?” I’m really annoyed, she didn’t even let me finish my sentence! Gees.

“Yes! I’m actually fine, I’m not sad. Let’s continue. By the way, you look good in your black tuxedo Thanatos” did she just… compliment me? It’s my first time to hear a compliment and I don’t know what I’m feeling right now.

I just looked puzzled at her.

“Well he also thinks that you are beautiful right now Mara. He just can’t say it but I noticed from his glance at you”

“Really? Is that true Thanatos?”

“Yes...what no! I said no” WHAT DID I JUST SAID?! WHAT’S GOING ON WITH ME? I SAID YES? WHY YES? SHE’S NOT BEAUTIFUL, I SHOULD’VE SAY NO RIGHT AWAY.

“*laugh* You’re cute” SHE COMPLIMENTS ME AGAIN?! WHY IS SHE DOING THAT TO ME?! SOULS ARE AFRAID OF ME. I’M DARK AND MERCILESS THEY SAY, BUT WHY?! I’M CUTE?! DO I REALLY LOOK CUTE RIGHT NOW?! WHAT AM I A PUPPY?

SHE’S REALLY NOT SCARED MARRYING A GRIM REAPER?

Okay calm yourself Thanatos it’s just an act so be calm. It’s her wish and I should grant it. After this she’ll go to the afterlife and it’s a job well done to me.

“Are you blushing right now Thanatos? It’s my first time seeing you like that” Why does Nemesis always try to piss me off? Just why? I’m really having a hard time calming myself down here then she’ll be adding some of those annoying lines.

“I’m not! Let’s just start the wedding please!”

“Okay, okay, I see that you’re too excited to be her husband huh”

“Nemesis!!!”

--A Few Hours Ago---

“What?! Are you nuts?!” I immediately stood up from my seat and pushed her aside. I can’t believe that I’m hearing this ridiculous thing from her. This soul is totally crazy.

“You told me that you’ll grant my one last wish right? And that's it” she then tried to hold my arms but I avoided it.

I start to walk slowly away from her. I’m trying to think correctly. Somehow because of her, my mind is getting so confused.

“What kind of wish is that?! There’s a lot of things that you could be wishing for. Why is marrying me your choice?!”

“Because that’s part of my dream!”

“Is your dream to marry a grim reaper?” I stopped and looked at her seriously. Now she’s giving me that sad look of hers as if she’s going to cry again.

“No, you don’t understand. All my life I've always been rejected. My true father, who abandoned me… My stepfather, who doesn't really care about me and always beats the hell outta me… In school, I don’t have many friends because they don’t like me.”

I didn’t know that she had a very tragic life back then. I can say that she’s way luckier to be dead than to live like that.

But why am I involved here?!

“What has that got to do with it?”

“Despite my experience I always dream that one day, there’ll be a single person who’ll save me from this kind of misery. A person who’s not like my father, or stepfather, or any other people around me. Who’ll see the best in me even if I’m like this. Who’ll love and marry me. Who’ll stay with me and care for me. Who’ll not abandon me when the times get very rough. That’s my only dream, but I died. I can’t have those so I just want to feel it even for a few moments. I want to know how it feels to get married. So please, Thanatos. Please marry me”

Should I pity her right now? I had a rollercoaster kind of feeling with her the moment that we met and now I feel like this roller coaster won’t even stop. What is she doing to me? She’s making me feel something about her that I can’t even explain myself.

“W-why me?”

“Because… I trust you”

The heck? I really don’t know what’s going on with her mind! This soul trusts me? It’s all very new to me. I never knew that she would say such a thing like TRUST to me.

“What? Why’d you ever trust a grim reaper?”

“Why shouldn’t I?”

With her saying those words, I pause for a moment. I also asked myself why...

“Well… because I’m death”

My goodness Thanatos? That’s the only thing that you got? Because you are death? Great, you’ll win this argument because of that.

“So? Death is a part of life. We cannot stop it because it’s part of the human cycle. If it’s my time, it’s really my time. It has nothing to do with you because this is what my fate is.”

“W-well…” What Thanatos? Why can’t you say something? You should say something right but why does your mouth seem to stop from talking?

I don’t understand why I have to encounter such an incident. I’m having a not so peaceful life as a grim reaper and she totally wrecked the rest of peace in my mind. Oh Lord what is your plan with this woman, and with me?

“You’re the only one that I can trust right now because I don’t have anybody else. Besides, you grant wishes. You give souls one last wish before they go to the afterlife and for me, that’s a big thing”

I’m astonished by what she just said. It’s the first time that someone appreciates my work. I never thought that this day would come. She’s really a different kind of crazy soul. She’s not like any other souls that I’ve encountered.

She went near me again and looked into my eyes. Why do I feel like she’s looking straight to my whole existence?

“I’ve already decided, Thanatos. This is my one last wish, please grant it”

Her eyes…

The pureness of her soul…

Why am I seeing her this way, why?

Why do I feel this urge that I have to fulfill her wish?

Maybe because it’s an obligation?

Or is there something more than that?

Something… that I can’t even explain

“It’s just to pretend, Thanatos. Why don’t you do it?” And suddenly this annoying friend of mine suddenly popped out of nowhere.

“Wahh!” Mara shouted and accidentally hugged me. I pushed her back right away. She’s being too close to me and I don’t like it. I really don’t.

“Don’t be scared, that’s Nemesis. She is my friend”

“Wow, you now consider me as your friend? I thought you ---”

“What do you want me to say?!”

“Okay okay, calm down. I accept that. I’m sorry for that Mara, my friend Thanatos over here is really...you know… ill-tempered” Nemesis casually wrapped her arms around my shoulders. I’m not comfortable with what she did so I shrugged it off.

“No I’m not!”

“Yes you are! Look at you right now”

I did not respond, instead, I just glared at her as if I wanted to kick her out of here. She just glared back before she turned her attention to Mara.

“So it happens that I heard your wish. Don’t worry, he’ll grant it. He doesn’t have any choice *laugh* By the way I will help you with your wedding”

--Present Time---

“Mara Delavega, do you take Thanatos to be your wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till afterlife do you part."

“I do”

I looked at Mara and she seems very happy right now. I feel great when I see her like that. But it doesn’t mean that I want this wedding. It also doesn’t mean that I want to be wed with her. I haven’t even imagined myself having a wedding, being a groom, or whatsoever romantic cringey things to think of. I just cannot believe that I am doing this right now.

“Thanatos, do you take Mara Delavega to be your wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till afterlife do you part."

I paused and let out a big sigh. Even if it’s just fake, why do I feel like this moment right now is so real?

“I..”

“Thanatos?”

“I… I do”

“Very well said, you may now kiss the bride”

“WHAT?! KISS?! DO WE REALLY HAVE TO-- AWW!” I hadn't finished my sentence when Nemesis suddenly stepped on my foot very hard. It’s painful, it hurts so much!

“I said kiss the bride. Why don’t you just do it?”

“Because I haven’t even kissed anyone before!” I said furiously, I really can’t take this kind of event. My foot hurts!

“It doesn’t matter just kiss her Thanatos!”

“I don’t even know how to kiss!”

“Well I do, let me teach you”

All of a sudden, Mara touched my hand and pulled me close. After that she caressed my cheek, before she…

Kiss me…

She’s kissing me slowly and I don’t even know what to do! I’m like a statue in front of her. Her eyes are definitely shut while mine are surprisingly wide open. I can’t believe this… she’s really kissing me! Her soft lips and tongue are moving while I’m just frozen in here. I can’t move. It feels as if she’s still alive, as if she’s not really a soul. I can feel every move she makes. And it’s… quite… good.

After a few seconds, she stopped and stared at my shocking look.

“That’s how you should kiss someone. Now, let’s try it again?”

“W-what?” don’t tell me? really? This crazy woman, why does she have to do this to me?

“Kiss me” damn it! Her eyes, why is it so tempting? This is really not happening! I don’t know what to do!

“I… b-but”

“Thanatos, kiss the bride. It’s kiss the bride not kiss the groom so just kiss her will ya?!”

“Shut up Nemesis I will! Just wait…” I let out a big big big big sigh before I looked at Mara’s pinkish lips. I’m thinking of how she kissed me, all I have to do is to mimic that. I can’t believe that I’m going to do this.

After a few seconds of contemplating myself, I started to touch and caress her cheek down to her hair.

It’s okay Thanatos, you can do it! You’ve seen a lot of people kissing and you’ll be able to do that too!

I now slowly lean to her and move closer...and closer…

And closer…

I shut my eyes before I felt her lips in mine. I did what she did to me before, and now we’re moving in rhythm. I feel like I’m going to explode, my chest is going to explode. I really can’t believe that I’m doing this. And I can’t believe that I’m actually liking this…

It’s so good…

Now I know the feeling when you’re kissing someone…

It feels like I’m on cloud nine.

After a few seconds of kissing, we moved apart and looked at each other’s faces. Why do I feel like we are really having a legit wedding right now?

IT FEELS LIKE IT’S NOT FAKE ANYMORE.

“I thought you were bullied back then and no one likes you? H-how…”

“Yes, but I never said that I haven’t kissed anyone, Thanatos”

There is really something in this woman. I don’t know what it is but she’s odd, unpredictable, childish and everything! I don’t like her being too close to me but at the same time…

Maybe somehow…

Or sometimes…

Or some point in time I don’t know…

I feel different when she’s around, NOW that she’s around

“You are now officially husband and wife!”

A smile formed in her lips when she heard Nemesis say those words. Then she held my hands and looked straight at me.

“I love you”