The Last Voice Message

So, first of all, I’m sorry for the inconsistent use of tense. I’m confused about it myself. Heehee, I started on this quite some time ago but I couldn’t figure out how it’s gonna go on. But it came out this way, so… TA~DAA~ Enjoy please. Sorry for my bad English. T_T 

Genre : Romance

          It was Saturday evening and Katherine Collins was busy with the final preparations for her wedding which is in next month, while blasting music and doing what everyone likes to do, procrastinating by singing the lyrics out loud and doing air-drums. “So love me like you do, lo-lo-love me like you do…” Her phone started to ring, she saw the caller ID showing the name Rick. She answered her phone while turning down the volume of the music.

“ Heyyyy babe, so I ran into this store and your favourite chocolate is being on sale. Do you want me to buy it or…. Are you still on your ridiculous idea of dieting?” Rick asked.

Rick Mccarty is her fiancé, who she met a few years ago in a friend’s party. After that encounter, they got together a few times and they ended up dating. As time flows by, 5 years later they got engaged. He is a really sweet guy with his cheeky grins. They are always at each other’s side whenever one of them feels down or are facing a hard challenge. She never thought she would ever get to find a guy like him. He’s probably what most of the female populations are looking for: sweet, caring and definitely loyal. 

“Being on diet is NOT ridiculous, I need to stay on shape! But, yesssss buy the chocolates, it’s to die for!” Katherine replied.

“You’re perfect as you are Kate, I’ll love you no matter what, you don’t have to be on diet, okay?” Rick said.

“I know I know, I love you too Rick but I’m still sticking to that diet plan. See you next week.” Rick let a heavy sigh and said fine since he knew Kate was always so stubborn and they both hang up. 

            Rick and Kate dated for around 5 years and that’s when he proposed to her on their trip to Japan with their close friends. It was so surprising that Kate did not know how to react at that moment. They were having a picnic with breathtaking scenery, Rick took Kate to a nearby Sakura tree and got down with one knee. “ I know you told me that you always knew that I love you no matter what the circumstances are but even so I want to express to you how much I love you. I want to be the one by your side when you’re down, the one who is the first person who will share your happiness in the future, the one who you will spend your whole life with. So, Katherine Collins, will you marry me.?”

 

Kate stood frozen for quite a while that it made him felt awkward. He called her name again and tears started to flow down from her cheeks immediately. She nodded so many times not trusting her voice, he got up laughing, hugged and spun her around. She was crying yet laughing at the same time. It was the happiest moment of her life. She felt like she’s the luckiest person in the world because he will be the one that she would get to spend the rest of her life with. 

Rick was super busy this week with his work so they agreed that they would just meet up after he finished busy schedule if not he will be very exhausted. Even though Kate was the one who suggested that idea, Rick knew she will be lonely at times so he made sure to call in and message her when he has a bit of free time. They would Skype with each other and Kate will end up falling asleep, his presence, his voice makes everything seems better and calmer. 

When they met up with each other, Kate noticed Rick got thinner in just one week of time and she was worried. She has suspected that Rick is taking extra work to earn more savings but she has kept quiet until now. She couldn’t and wouldn’t want to see Rick overworking himself. So she went up to Rick and explained.

“Rick, I’m worry… You’re overworking yourself, it’s not healthy that way.” Rick heard and sighed.

“Babe, I’m just doing this for you, for us. Can’t you see it.?” Rick replied feeling a bit angry that Kate did not understand why he was working so hard for. 

            The conversations went by and both of them are getting heated up on their debates. One thing led to another, they started a huge argument.

“Don’t you see all I want is for you to be able to live a luxury life?!” exclaimed Rick.

“I told you, I don’t need those! I just want to be by your side, not to be a burden but working along with you to support our family!” 

“I want to work along with you, worry about our future together and not you taking everything on your shoulder so that you could collapse!” Kate continued, barely holding on to her tears. All she was doing was thinking about Rick’s health and all Rick was doing was thinking about Kate’s happiness. However, they couldn’t see it because they were too engrossed in what they believed in.

“I just want to show you how much I love you! Don’t you get it?!” shouted Rick. Feeling pointless if the fight continued on, Kate stomped off. But before that, she replied

“You’re just showing off as a man and getting yourself sick easily. Responsibilities can be shared, I don’t see why you can’t with me.”

Rick gave a long devastated sigh and slumped onto his couch. Kate stomped off to her best friend’s house. Rick went to bar with his friends while Kate went to her best friend’s house, both of them complained, explained their point of view to let go of their frustration build up from the previous arguments. But is there really who’s right and who’s wrong in this? No one knows, but they supported their friend in depress because that’s what friends do.

After 2 days have passed, Katherine was worried about Rick and hesitated on checking up on him. Finally, she decided to go to his house but it was already night time. On the way to his house, Kate wanted to calm things down and compromised with Rick. However, another car came crashing onto her car from the opposite lane. Before she passed out with that blinding light she saw Rick’s cheeky grin saying her name.

“Are you Katherine Collins’ friend? We could not manage to get through her relatives, so we found her most recent logs and contacted you,” the doctor asked.

“Yes, I am… I-is she going to be alright? I got here right away after the phone call,” said Kate’s best friend.

“I am sorry to inform you that we did all we could but her internal injuries are too vital for us to manage it through, she would not be able to live through today. My condolences, she’s awake now, you can go talk to her. Stay strong, she’s badly injured,” informed the doctor. 

On the hospital bed, heavily bandaged around her head, her arms, her legs… her bodies. Blood seeping through the bandages, her face still remained some blood stain and cuts. She looked mummified, Chloe, her best friend couldn’t help it but broke down and sobbed. She walked near to Katherine and whispered,

“Kate…” 

Hearing her name being called, she turned her head slightly towards the sound, recognizing that voice. She could barely see and she felt horrible, from the sound of sobbing from her best friend, she knew she was dying.

“H-hey, Chloe…” she coughed none stop and blood continue to seep out from her cuts and dripping from her mouth. 

            “D-do you want me to call Rick? I can-We will-I” Chloe panicked.

            “…y-yes, please…” She wanted to speak to him, one last time before she dies. She couldn’t believe she was now dying, after arguing with him. Their wedding was so near, but they could not have it fun. This would definitely break Rick’s heart. Kate wanted to stay with him, stay alive with him, build a family. She wanted to live to be with him, but she couldn’t. Tears flowing down from both her cheeks.

            “K-kate! He is not answering his phone! Wh—“ 

            “It’s okay… can you.. let me speak through the voice.. mail?” Kate knew she did not have much time. So it’s okay if she’s unable to listen to his voice one last time, as long as she gets to convey her message to him, it’s fine this way.

           She got on voice mail : “….Hey… Rick. Li-listen, okay? I always knew you love me so so much. I knew… you would take on the wh-whole world ju-just for me. But I don’t want you to… ever overwork yourself, take your pa-pace stea..dily.. okay? I’d miss you, you know? I.. I want you to find your… n-new happi….” 

            “…heh heh…*coughs badly* that went over the time limit I guess. I really… h-hope you can find your… happiness. Even if I’m no longer by your side, I… know you’d be st-trong to do it. And thank you… for making me the ha-happiest and luckiest… girl in the whole world. I love…..” 

            This time, it wasn’t the limit of voice mail time that stopped, but her heart. Katherine Collins, looking heartbroken but has a smile on her face. Her best friend, Chloe, hearing the conversations broke down onto the floor, crying her heart out for her best friend.

            It was the next day when Rick found out her fiancé, his beloved future wife, his one and only love, Kate, died in an accident. Of course he did not take it really well and he did not know about the voice message. Chloe assumed he received it, but in reality he didn’t. Rick was so lost because he had lost the love of his life. He was upset with himself, blaming almost everyone and mostly blaming himself. He couldn’t believe how fate played with them, how death just take his beloved one away from him. 

            He’s already prepared to spend the rest of his life with Kate, fully prepare whatever circumstances that will come between them. But he never thought the future they held so close would take his lover away from him forever. He lost his determination in doing anything, even living. Fortunately, his friends were there to help him through, everyone was going through a difficult time. Looking at their best friend hurting so much from the inside, it’s eating him up. 

            It was one month later, even though Rick barely move on from the death of his fiancé, he stopped being totally broken. At least for now, he’s able to live properly, without any help of alcohol or sleeping pills to soothe his heartbreak. He got a voice message from a colleague of his and that’s when he noticed there was two old voice messages that he did not listen to. So, he went on to listen to it. When he heard the first sentence of it, he was stunned, he couldn’t believe he was listening to his deceased fiancé. He choked up listening to the voice messages, he repeated and repeated again until he could memorized it fully. 

            “I’ll try… I’m gonna try my best. So, please… in our next life. I want us to be together again.” Goodbye, Katherine, my love.

 The End

Word count : 1908

♛Shadow♛  ~