Status: Completed. Written to experiement with third person.
How He Learned About Death
Chapter 3
Giovanna tilted her head. “Your parents never explained it to you?”
“Well, not really.”
Giovanna pursed her lips. She patted EP’s knee. “I’ll let your parents explain this one.”
“Giovanna!” a woman’s voice exclaimed. It came from downstairs. “It’s time to go!”
Giovanna groaned. Reluctantly, she stood up. She stuck out a hand for EP to take. He did. Giovanna pulled him up into a standing position. EP followed her downstairs. A woman was already bundled up. EP’s father stood next to her. She held a black coat. Giovanna took it and slipped into it. Then she turned to face EP.
“I have something for you,” Giovanna said. She felt around her coat pocket for a split second before taking out a red bandana. She handed it over to EP. As he examined it, she said, “It’s so you have something to remember me by.”
EP put it in his pocket. He suddenly felt engulfed by arms. Giovanna’s arms. EP hugged her back, looking up. She seemed to be holding back tears.
“Don’t forget me, okay?” she asked, voice slightly shaky.
“Okay,” EP said. He was confused.
Giovanna turned to Donald. Donald had her camera in his hands and EP was just noticing this.
“It’s all ready to go,” Donald said.
Giovanna smiled. She hugged Donald tightly before taking the camera and thanking him.
“Ready Giovanna?” the woman, who must’ve been her mother, asked.
“Wait!” she exclaimed, facing EP again. “Sit down on a chair!”
“Why?” EP asked, doing what he was told.
“Picture time!” Giovanna said happily.
She twisted EP this way and that, fixed his hair, and fixed his shirt collar. She then stood back and held the camera to her face. Then she held a hand up next to it.
“Look at my hand. Good. Now… smile!” Giovanna pressed a button and then camera flashed. A black square with a white boarder slipped out of the camera. Giovanna grabbed it and shook it.
“Can I see it?” EP asked.
Giovanna nodded. She looked at it when the picture finally developed. Her eyes widened. “EP, what kind of smile is this?” She laughed.
EP walked over and looked at the black and white photograph. His hair looked perfect. His ears stuck out a little but that didn’t bother him at all. He was looking away from the camera, just like everyone did in those days. One side of his shirt collar hid beneath his suspenders. His smile. Why, it wasn’t really a smile at all. It looked as if he was trying too hard. Actually, it didn’t even look like he was trying. It was as if all he did was lift up his top lip a little bit.
Giovanna patted his shoulder. “You’re adorable.”
“What’s the picture for?” EP asked.
“So I have something to remember you by,” Giovanna said. “Just in case I don’t see you again.” She turned to her mother. “I’m ready now.”
Donald and EP followed the two of them to the front door. Everyone waved goodbye to them. Giovanna quickly hugged EP again. As she walked out, her mother said something about them being out there for a while since it takes the car forever to start. Then they closed the door behind them.
“EP, can I talk to you in the kitchen?” Donald asked.
As EP followed him, he asked, “What did Giovanna mean by ‘Just in case I don’t see you again’?”
“That’s what I want to talk to you about,” Donald said. He sat at the opposite side of the table from EP. Everyone left the kitchen now. “Giovanna has leukemia, EP.”
EP didn’t know what that was so he told his father.
“It’s a sickness. A deadly sickness. The curing process she goes through makes her lose her hair,” Donald said.
There was a word that caught EP’s attention. “Daddy, what does deadly mean?”
“She can die from the sickness. She’ll be dead,” Donald explained.
“Can… Can you tell me what that means exactly?” EP asked.
Donald sighed. “Being dead means… it means that the person isn’t coming back.”
“So they go on vacation or something?”
“Uh… a vacation that lasts forever,” Donald said.
“How can that happen?”
“EP, when people die, their vacation spot is Heaven.”
EP’s eyes widened.
Donald continued. “To be dead means that your heart no longer beats. Your body goes into a deep, deep sleep that you never wake up from. At least not here. You wake up in Heaven with God and the angels. Heaven is where your soul goes. Your body stays here. Unmoving. Sleeping. Dead. Is this making any sense?”
EP didn’t respond.
“We bury our dead. We put them in coffins and then in the ground,” Donald said. “Now Giovanna. She has leukemia like I said before. It’s a type of cancer. Cancer is impossible to cure. Maybe in the future it won’t be but it is now. Giovanna’s mother said she has less than a month to live. That’s why I wanted to come to this party. So I could say goodbye.”
EP looked at the table. “So when Giovanna is dead… she’s not coming back? At… at all?”
Donald nodded.
“She’ll be asleep forever?”
Donald nodded.
“I won’t be able to see her again?”
Donald nodded.
“Her body will be in the ground and her soul with God and then angels in Heaven?”
Donald nodded.
“Does… Does she know she’s dying?” EP feared for the answer.
Again, Donald nodded.
“But why is she dying? She’s only twelve! She can’t leave us now!” EP exclaimed. “That means she’ll never be thirteen. She’ll never marry. She’ll never have kids. She told me she wanted to go back to school. That means she’ll never go back to school!”
“I know, EP. But God just wants her back with him early,” Donald said.
EP slipped out of his chair and ran in the living room. Donald didn’t follow him. No one watched EP as he looked out the window. Sure enough, Giovanna and her mother were still there. Giovanna read a book as her mother tried starting the car. If she was dead, that meant she couldn’t read. She couldn’t wear her blue bandana. She couldn’t go to parties. EP wouldn’t be able to eat her meatballs and she wouldn’t be able to eat his green beans. The two of them wouldn’t be able to share ice cream anymore. They wouldn’t be able to throw grapes at each other. If Giovanna was dead, who would call EP adorable? Who would pat his shoulder? Who would take pictures of him and laugh at his smile? Who would sing “O Holy Night” in Italian? EP couldn’t picture the world without Giovanna and he only knew her for a day.
Giovanna’s mother finally got the car started. Giovanna put her book down and looked out the window. She caught sight of EP. A smile spread across her face and she waved. EP waved back solemnly. Seconds later, the car was gone.
If Giovanna was dead, that meant she couldn’t sit in a car anymore. She wouldn’t be able to look out of its window, see EP, and wave. EP wouldn’t have anyone to wave back to. He slipped his hand in his pocket and felt the red bandana Giovanna gave him. He squeezed it. It was all he had left of her to remember her by.
A tear streamed down his face.
“Well, not really.”
Giovanna pursed her lips. She patted EP’s knee. “I’ll let your parents explain this one.”
“Giovanna!” a woman’s voice exclaimed. It came from downstairs. “It’s time to go!”
Giovanna groaned. Reluctantly, she stood up. She stuck out a hand for EP to take. He did. Giovanna pulled him up into a standing position. EP followed her downstairs. A woman was already bundled up. EP’s father stood next to her. She held a black coat. Giovanna took it and slipped into it. Then she turned to face EP.
“I have something for you,” Giovanna said. She felt around her coat pocket for a split second before taking out a red bandana. She handed it over to EP. As he examined it, she said, “It’s so you have something to remember me by.”
EP put it in his pocket. He suddenly felt engulfed by arms. Giovanna’s arms. EP hugged her back, looking up. She seemed to be holding back tears.
“Don’t forget me, okay?” she asked, voice slightly shaky.
“Okay,” EP said. He was confused.
Giovanna turned to Donald. Donald had her camera in his hands and EP was just noticing this.
“It’s all ready to go,” Donald said.
Giovanna smiled. She hugged Donald tightly before taking the camera and thanking him.
“Ready Giovanna?” the woman, who must’ve been her mother, asked.
“Wait!” she exclaimed, facing EP again. “Sit down on a chair!”
“Why?” EP asked, doing what he was told.
“Picture time!” Giovanna said happily.
She twisted EP this way and that, fixed his hair, and fixed his shirt collar. She then stood back and held the camera to her face. Then she held a hand up next to it.
“Look at my hand. Good. Now… smile!” Giovanna pressed a button and then camera flashed. A black square with a white boarder slipped out of the camera. Giovanna grabbed it and shook it.
“Can I see it?” EP asked.
Giovanna nodded. She looked at it when the picture finally developed. Her eyes widened. “EP, what kind of smile is this?” She laughed.
EP walked over and looked at the black and white photograph. His hair looked perfect. His ears stuck out a little but that didn’t bother him at all. He was looking away from the camera, just like everyone did in those days. One side of his shirt collar hid beneath his suspenders. His smile. Why, it wasn’t really a smile at all. It looked as if he was trying too hard. Actually, it didn’t even look like he was trying. It was as if all he did was lift up his top lip a little bit.
Giovanna patted his shoulder. “You’re adorable.”
“What’s the picture for?” EP asked.
“So I have something to remember you by,” Giovanna said. “Just in case I don’t see you again.” She turned to her mother. “I’m ready now.”
Donald and EP followed the two of them to the front door. Everyone waved goodbye to them. Giovanna quickly hugged EP again. As she walked out, her mother said something about them being out there for a while since it takes the car forever to start. Then they closed the door behind them.
“EP, can I talk to you in the kitchen?” Donald asked.
As EP followed him, he asked, “What did Giovanna mean by ‘Just in case I don’t see you again’?”
“That’s what I want to talk to you about,” Donald said. He sat at the opposite side of the table from EP. Everyone left the kitchen now. “Giovanna has leukemia, EP.”
EP didn’t know what that was so he told his father.
“It’s a sickness. A deadly sickness. The curing process she goes through makes her lose her hair,” Donald said.
There was a word that caught EP’s attention. “Daddy, what does deadly mean?”
“She can die from the sickness. She’ll be dead,” Donald explained.
“Can… Can you tell me what that means exactly?” EP asked.
Donald sighed. “Being dead means… it means that the person isn’t coming back.”
“So they go on vacation or something?”
“Uh… a vacation that lasts forever,” Donald said.
“How can that happen?”
“EP, when people die, their vacation spot is Heaven.”
EP’s eyes widened.
Donald continued. “To be dead means that your heart no longer beats. Your body goes into a deep, deep sleep that you never wake up from. At least not here. You wake up in Heaven with God and the angels. Heaven is where your soul goes. Your body stays here. Unmoving. Sleeping. Dead. Is this making any sense?”
EP didn’t respond.
“We bury our dead. We put them in coffins and then in the ground,” Donald said. “Now Giovanna. She has leukemia like I said before. It’s a type of cancer. Cancer is impossible to cure. Maybe in the future it won’t be but it is now. Giovanna’s mother said she has less than a month to live. That’s why I wanted to come to this party. So I could say goodbye.”
EP looked at the table. “So when Giovanna is dead… she’s not coming back? At… at all?”
Donald nodded.
“She’ll be asleep forever?”
Donald nodded.
“I won’t be able to see her again?”
Donald nodded.
“Her body will be in the ground and her soul with God and then angels in Heaven?”
Donald nodded.
“Does… Does she know she’s dying?” EP feared for the answer.
Again, Donald nodded.
“But why is she dying? She’s only twelve! She can’t leave us now!” EP exclaimed. “That means she’ll never be thirteen. She’ll never marry. She’ll never have kids. She told me she wanted to go back to school. That means she’ll never go back to school!”
“I know, EP. But God just wants her back with him early,” Donald said.
EP slipped out of his chair and ran in the living room. Donald didn’t follow him. No one watched EP as he looked out the window. Sure enough, Giovanna and her mother were still there. Giovanna read a book as her mother tried starting the car. If she was dead, that meant she couldn’t read. She couldn’t wear her blue bandana. She couldn’t go to parties. EP wouldn’t be able to eat her meatballs and she wouldn’t be able to eat his green beans. The two of them wouldn’t be able to share ice cream anymore. They wouldn’t be able to throw grapes at each other. If Giovanna was dead, who would call EP adorable? Who would pat his shoulder? Who would take pictures of him and laugh at his smile? Who would sing “O Holy Night” in Italian? EP couldn’t picture the world without Giovanna and he only knew her for a day.
Giovanna’s mother finally got the car started. Giovanna put her book down and looked out the window. She caught sight of EP. A smile spread across her face and she waved. EP waved back solemnly. Seconds later, the car was gone.
If Giovanna was dead, that meant she couldn’t sit in a car anymore. She wouldn’t be able to look out of its window, see EP, and wave. EP wouldn’t have anyone to wave back to. He slipped his hand in his pocket and felt the red bandana Giovanna gave him. He squeezed it. It was all he had left of her to remember her by.
A tear streamed down his face.
♠ ♠ ♠
This story has come to its end.Fun fact: this was actually very loosely based off a true story. EP, my father, told me about the girl with Leukemia. His father, Donald, told him that she didn't have very long to live and my father remembers crying. The reason this story is labeled original fiction is because I did make a lot of stuff up. In reality, the girl with Leukemia was a distant cousin so my father doesn't remember her name. Also, he's not sure where he found this out. A party? A restaurant? The world may never know. My father did give me a picture of a little boy at the age of eight. That little boy is the boy in this layout. That little boy is also my father.
Thank you all for reading!