The Last Wish

THE LAST WISH

“Anna!” Margaret called while walking to her sister’s hospital room. The room is painted in white, and she sighed, thinking Anna never liked the color white. ‘The color white is plain which signifies the absence of life,’ she always says. She likes dark red color which has a mysterious feel to it. She noticed Anna standing near the hospital window staring outside. She was wearing the hospital gown which was too big for her thin, fragile figure. Anna did not notice the presence of Margaret in her room and she continued to stare outside. She was lost in her own thoughts and a mixture of pain and agony was plastered on her slightly wrinkled face.

Margaret stood next to Anna and placed her hands on her shoulder. For the first time after Margaret entered the hospital room, Anna noticed her sister’s presence.

“Hey,” she greeted weakly.

Margaret smiled at her sister kindly. “You look better today, Anna,” She tried to cheer up her sick sister, hiding her own fear of losing her sister any moment. Anna was diagnosed with Leukemia a year ago, and she is in the second stage of the deadly disease now at the age of fifty three.

“I can see through your lies, Maggie,” Anna chuckled. “I am expecting death any time, and I am not scared anymore.” She started to cough vigorously and signaled Margaret for water.  She handed Anna a glass of water immediately and Anna drank the whole glass in one gulp. She made Anna sit on her bed and looked at her sister concerned.

“Are you okay, Anna? Shall I call the doctor?” Margaret asked, worry etching through her voice.

“That question has lost its meaning long ago, Maggie. I am not okay, I am dying!” Anna cried exasperatedly. ‘Why do people ask if I am okay when they know that I am sick,’ Anna thought and shook her head in frustration. She immediately regretted her words when she looked at Margaret’s pain-stricken face.

“I am sorry Maggie,” she apologized without wasting any time. Time, that’s what she doesn’t have with her anymore. “I just lost my cool,” she mumbled.

“I only have one last wish left,” Anna continued. “I want to see them, just once, before I leave this world. I can die in peace then," her voice started to quiver and hot tears started to roll down her cheeks.

Margaret sat next to Anna and began to rub Anna’s shoulder in an effort to calm her sister. She hated to see Anna crying. Anna was always the strongest among them, and she always faced every problem on her way with her positive attitude and confidence. She never let anyone walk over her, not even him.

It took Margaret sometime to calm her crying sister, and when she was sure that Anna was back to her normal self, Margaret decided to break the news to her sister.