It's late. My footsteps echoed in the high-ceiling emptiness of the hall. The hospital "chapel" is the size of a modest church sanctuary. St. Francis is an ironic name for the institution, but I don't mind.
It's good to visit family. To get away from it all. Aunt Roxanne's workplace is nice on a cold winter's night. The lavish expanse like a silent cathedral lighting up the surrounds. But it was the chapel I wanted to see. Predictably, no one else is here, but the place is open and well-lit.
Ania was asleep, face illuminated in beauty and peace despite the various wires and tubes protruding from her body. I didn't want to wake her so I quietly took a seat in the deep green chair next to her bed. Resting my head back against the wall, I closed my eyes and relaxed. Pushing all of the thoughts from my mind, I focused on the sweetest memory I could conjure.
Los Angeles. Two-thousand and sixteen.
The sun was slowly setting over the downtown Los Angeles sky, causing the light blue to melt into a rich lilac and fade into an almost burnt orange surrounding the sun. We'd just finished the last stop on our senior trip, CalArts, and were eager to get home.
It was Ania's idea to play music, but it was Conner who primarily controlled the playlist. I was tired, slightly drifting off. The only thing keeping me up was the pitchy, off-key, tone-deaf harmonizing of my best friends in the entire world.
Looking around, I smiled. Ania, Travis, Sandeep, and Conner. I'd grown so close to these four people over the past few years and to think that we'd all be going our separate ways in the next few months brought tears to my eyes.
I could hear Ania singing softly next to me. Looking over to her, I smiled fondly. Her voice, like that of angel, washed over me in warm waves. Trying for sleep again, I sighed. This was it, the feeling some people searched their whole lives for. Happiness. Contentment.
"Hey."
I opened my eyes, startled awake by Ania's soft voice. "Morning sleepy head. Hungry?"
