Crazy Till Death Do Us Part
“Let’s go take some fresh air; the smell of antiseptic is killing me in here.” I said as I pushed the wheel chair button.
As I drove through the hallway, I glanced at the man who drove beside me in his wheelchair.
I always considered myself to be a little bit cuckoo in my younger days, but I never imagined I’d meet someone just as crazy and unique as I was.
Our long friendship had formed because of the secrets we discovered we both had.
Our unbreakable bond had been built on those secrets we had shared with each other. Secrets that would have ruined us if they had been leaked to the world.
I smiled as I remembered when we had joked about being thrown into a mental institution because of the abnormal secrets we kept.
I gave him one last look before we exited the building.
Who would have thought exes could have a close-knit and harmless friendship?
****
As the sun set into the horizon, Tunji and I sat in matching rocking chairs just outside the building. We reminisced about the adventures we had in our younger days.
“Remember when we decided to go to therapy?” I heard Tunji ask.
“It was a total disaster. Who knew therapy could lead to one becoming depressed enough to have suicidal thoughts.” I shook my head and smiled.
“Don’t you think we should have taken up those suicidal thoughts then? I mean, we had good years after that but — ”
“You should be glad we lived till this age, you big head.” I interrupted him with a question.
“Are you kidding me? I told you that we’d be unable to walk by 90. Look at us in wheel chairs; it’s a pain in the ass.” Tunji complained.
“I don’t remember you saying anything like that.” I replied, a weak smile gracing my lips.
“Really? Well, you’ve always been a forgettable old lady.” He teased, causing me to laugh.
He suddenly gave me a smile that took me back to the first day I saw him.
It’s been seventy-four years, but I still remember the first time I met Tunji like it was yesterday. He had given me that exact smile that had captured my attention.
Despite us not working out, I still believe he must have cast a spell on me in the first place. Yoruba boys must have been named Yoruba demons for a reason.
I chuckled at my thought and stared at the sunset in front of me.
“Why are you laughing? Don’t tell me you’ve finally lost it.”
“I was just remembering when we first met.” I managed to roll my eyes at him.
“You remember that far? That’s a miracle.” He laughed out loud.
Not long after, he coughed and wheezed for breath. I patted his back and hit him lightly when he calmed down.
“Don’t laugh.” I scolded.
“You know, I never told you this, but I’m glad we became each other’s therapist. We really should be celebrating our 75th year of friendship soon.” He said with a wide smile.
As I stared at him, I noticed the wrinkles that had formed on his once smooth face. So different from the boy I first met, yet not so different.
The cool breeze blew gently, and I smiled sadly as I breathed in the fresh air.
“Do you feel it?” I asked in a whisper.
The wind carried the whisper to his ears as he turned to me, his once bright eyes now clouded with age.
“I do feel it.” He replied, his voice barely above a whisper.
“I just remembered the promise we made back when we were 20.” He whispered again.
“We’d remain friends who live to the ripe old age of 90 and die together.” I recited, off the top of my head.
“Here we are, in the care home, where we said we’d be at the ripe old age of 90, with just one thing left.” He said, weakly chuckling.
“I guess we’ll be carrying those secrets to the grave after all, as we said.”
We both chuckled and smiled at one another, the light dimming in our eyes.
He closed his eyes and breathed in the air. Opening his eyes, he gave me that reassuring smile that said everything would be okay.
Right then, I noticed his chest wheezing as he struggled to breathe.
Stretching out his hand to me, I put my palm in his, resting our hands on the chair’s arm as we took in the fresh air.
“Crazy till death do us part?” He asked and rested against the chair once more.
I gave a weak laugh, tears forming in my eyes as I did the same.
“Crazy till death do us part, partner.” I responded.
As we sat there, hands in hands, and eyes closed, the memories of our wild adventures slowly started to fade away.
I smiled as I felt our pulse become weaker and our breaths grow shallow. Life slowly faded away from both our bodies, and I couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of sadness and loss.
Tears streamed down my face as I tightened my grip, knowing that this was the end of our journey together.
I couldn’t help but think of all the memories we had made together as the laughter that once filled the autumn air was now replaced by deafening silence.
All I could hear was the rustling of the tree leaves and the sound of the wind blowing gently as our breathing labored.
A feeling of peace washed over me as I felt his hand softly press on mine.
As I took my last breath, I knew that we were together, just as we had promised to be throughout our lives.
Hand in hand, we quietly slipped away from life as two crazy and mentally unstable friends who were perfectly fine with one another.
Are you crying? Here’s a tissue. Even in death, they were together, forever bonded by the bond that could never be broken. The bond of craziness!!!
If you did not cry, well…hehe. What do you think about this? Touching or not touching, let me know in the comments!
If you liked this story, go ahead and long-press that clap button until it gets to 50!
Right! I’ll be off now, cheers!
Yours truly,
CeeJhay Walker
C.J.W
