"I have to warn you," said the nurse. "Your grandfather is going senile. You have to be patient with him, even if he tells you things that may seem strange to you." "What about his exams?" "During his coma we discovered generalized cancer ... I'm sorry"
She led him to her room and nodded "Stay strong"
He watched the nurse walk away and entered. His grandfather was preparing his luggage. "But what are you doing?" asked the young man. The old man sighed "You don't say hello anymore?" "Excuse me... Hello... Do you really think they'll let you out?" "Of course, since you're going to help me." "No, no, no don't even think about it!" "I did a lot more than think about it Kevin! By the way, do you know why your parents gave you a first name straight out of a stupid sitcom? You never wanted to sue against them?"
Kevin looked at his feet.
"Well I bet they don't know why they gave you that name either!" He added. "We are both different. We never knew what we were doing there. I can see how you've been behaving since you were a young boy. We always look lost. We don't know what we want to do because society doesn't offer us anything suitable for us, right? The truth is we are not really lost and failed, we do not see things like the others, that is all. So we have to act differently."
His grandfather had always been eccentric. His words had hit the mark but Kevin still had too much inner resistance. "But there is only one here that you can be healed ..." "You would really make a poor comedian. You are not even convinced yourself by what you say. I know I have a cancer. And what will happen? I'll tell you: treatments that will turn me into a vegetable and in the end I will end up in palliative care with morphine. Is that how you see my end too?" "Nonsense!" "Help me get out of here, I don't want to die here, I want to see the sun set behind the mountains and over the ocean one last time. Is that too much to ask? These are my last wishes, I'll give you a waiver if I have to!" "I dont know" "How that you do not know? Well it's time for you to find out. I have a couple more things to do before the end. I'm not asking you much in the end, just to come with me. I inquired, it's just missing a signature. Your parents don't want to, they haven't even come to see me. Nobody cares. Everyone except you Kevin."
Kevin looked out the window and sighed "Okay..." "Good boy!"
They walked down the hall. Kevin signed the waiver and picked up a bag of medicine and painkillers. Inside there was also a leaflet indicating the location of the area's hospitals, emergency services, morgues and funeral directors. His grandfather was waiting for him outside, his gaze raised to the sky, eyes closed. The wind caressed her face. Kevin didn't dare disturb him and went to get the car. He put the bag in the back and came up to him. It's true that his grandfather had looked weird for some time. Perhaps because he sense death near. Kevin was lost in his thoughts and jumped when his grandfather slammed the door.
"Here we go!" "Which way ?" "Westward Ho!" "And where will we sleep?" "In fact, I must tell you my project. I bought a van to make the trip to California. I also plan to visit a few national parks on the way."
He pointed to the horizon. "It's waiting for me a little further in a garage. I've been preparing for a long time, since the death of your grandmother to be honest. Little by little, I set up this van myself. There are only the essentials on board plus a few memories, records and books ... And then there was my car crash and during the coma they discovered a cancer. That's what made me decide to sell the house and get rid of the useless. This van will accompany me until the end from now on." "You mean ... until ..." "Death, yes. Does the word scare you? Often people are afraid even of the word, as if it brings bad luck. Isn't that weird? For me this is a sign that our society is sick. In fact, it is society that makes us sick. But don't worry about me. I'm sure now that there isn't really any death, at least not in the way you mean it." "What do you mean?" "When I came out of the coma I felt like I came back to life. However, I also lived during my coma and I continued to exist despite everything. The only thing that had disappeared during my coma was my awakened consciousness. But my deep conscience, I don't know what to call it, was still there. It's like a light bulb that you turn on or off. Whatever its state, the bulb is still there, unchanging, only the rest is changing. This is what makes me weird to people I'm trying to explain this to. Who's right ? who's wrong ? I don't care and I'm not trying to convince anyone. I'm just asking for my freedom and I'm not hurting anyone." "Alright ... I'll help you as long as it takes" "Thank you Kevin, I knew I could trust you"
