Rache

“Now I pass beyond these gates of time.”

Those were the last words of Elizabeth Rachel LeMontre. It was another fifteen minutes before she died, but she didn’t say anything after that. I think she wanted to have famous last words, and those were the best she could think of, so she didn’t say anything after that.

After she stopped breathing, I really wasn’t sure what to do. I had never seen anyone die before. I really wasn’t sure how you could tell. Her eyes were already closed, so I didn’t have to put nickels on them or anything.

“Rache?” I said. “Rache.” I stood up and touched her arm. “Rache?”

I stepped out into the hall and started looking for a nurse. It was a good nursing home, actually. A real nice place. I rode an elevator up the three stories to Rache’s room every day after school. They had real nice meals, too, that you could eat in the main hall or in your room. And since Rache didn’t have any ailments or anything, they’d always make her whatever she wanted. I always asked for the stuff you weren’t supposed to be able to get at a nursing home, like steak. Or octopus. They actually had octopus, once.

At the end of the hall, Tiffany was pushing a cart of medicine around the balcony from another hall. She had the blue uniform on today.

“Hey Elizabeth! You need something for Rachel?” she said.

“Um, maybe. She, uh. She’s not breathing,” I said.

“Oh my God!” Tiffany took off at a run for Rache’s room, her wiry dark hair bouncing in a ball at the back of her head. I ran after her.

“She uh. I mean, I think she’s already…” Tiffany was already standing in the doorway with her arms crossed.

“She looks kind of peaceful,” she said, her eyes just beginning to glisten.

“Yeah,” I said. “So, um. What happens now? I mean, what do we…”

“What do we do?” said Tiffany. “Not much. There’s no relatives to tell. I think she already had all her affairs in order, thank God.” Tiffany wiped her nose on the back of her hand. “We uh… God.” She put her hand over her chin. “And I really liked that lady, too.”

“So did I,” I said.

“Yeah?” she said. The left side of her face tried to grin, but the right side wouldn’t let it. “We couldn’t tell.” She put her arm around me, gave me a half-hug. “She has a lawyer we’re supposed to call. You’re about the closest thing she had to a relative, so you’ll need to leave some kind of information here about how to contact you for the funeral and stuff.”

“Funeral?” I asked. I had forgotten about funerals.

“Why, honey yes. Most people have funerals after they die.” She gave me another hug.