“Mort-Vivant,” Death says, settling down on his side of the table “The most famous restaurant of the in-between.”
People are munching on their food. Most of the diners are reapers. Some are ghosts but there are very few of them. The restaurant seems upscale. I am out of place with my work clothes and dress shoes. The fancy chandeliers and these too tall chairs, it all suits Death. It’s like I’m watching him in his natural habitat.
“I have to deal with the hex and we have to deal with the Reaper Formal,” Death makes a dramatic pose “But for now, we dine!”
I snort and fix my business shirt. “Yeah, whatever.”
He picks up the menu and I follow suit. I squint for a few seconds before I realize that none of it is in English. I just do a big brain move and choose from the pictures. I want pasta. Lots and lots of pasta without a speck of veggies in them. I hate vegetables.
“I want spaghetti,” I say after a while.
Death’s eyes are still on his menu. “You don’t want Alfredo? You stare at me when I eat it,”
“No, I want the first Alfredo I have to be yours. I’ll just take the spaghetti for now,” I say without thinking much of it. I lift my head and there is Death staring at me with his full lips parted.
“Oh?” He manages out. “I am sure this place’s Alfredo is much better,”
“Still,” I say, putting down my menu “I want to taste yours,”
Just on cue, a waiter comes. He has dark skin and dark eyes. There is something different about him. The waiter gives me a bright smile before facing both Death and I.
“May I get a bottle of wine for the happy couple?” The waiter says with a straight back “We have a discount on the overall meals exclusively for couples on Mort-Vivant Date Night,”
“But we aren’t da-” I start.
“Did you say discount? How much is off?” Death interrupts.
“Forty percent,” The waiter says.
“Doesn’t that sound wonderful sweetheart,” Death says, smiling at me.”What did you say you want? Spaghetti? Yes, we would like to two five course meals with that complimentary bottle of wine,”
“The five course meal,” The waiter jots down “With spaghetti as the main course… Okay, it will be ready in about fifteen, twenty minutes.”
“Perfect, thank you,” Death says to him.
The waiter gives me a nod before walking off into the double doors leading into the busy kitchen. As odd as this is, this phenomenon of people smiling at me and nodding off to me for no reason is happening more and more often. Especially at Death Corp. Now, it seems to be trickling outside of Death Corp. as well.
“I should tell you about the Reaper Formal,” Death says.
“The Reaper Formal? Ah, that event Sofie was talking about?”
Death nods. “Yes, obviously you are going to be my partner for the night.”
“Okay,” I draw out. “But what is the Formal about?”
“It’s just when all reapers from all companies come together to have fun on the surface. In actuality, it’s when all Reaper companies try to convince reapers to come to their companies. Reincarnation Co. has gotten quite a few of my reapers this way.”
“Is it something we need to worry about?” I ask.
He laughs. “Not at all. We are the largest company by far. Everyone believes in us. Everyone believes that they are going to die and most people believe that they’ll stay dead. We’re good. That’s not what we need to worry about,”
“What do we need to worry about then?”
Death face falls. He looks off into the distance and sighs. “We need to worry about my father’s attendance,”
All that Sofie told me about Death’s dad, OG Death, comes into my mind.
“Judging by your face, I am sure you’ve heard a thing or two,” Death starts “But yes, we don’t get along. We never got along,”
I stay as quiet as a stone.
“He’s just so burdensome. He doesn’t appreciate my innovations. He is always looking for a way to tear me down and keep me beneath him. He comes every year around this time but he never came to the formal. I have to make sure everything is perfect. It has to be perfect,”
“And it will be,” I say “It will be perfect, Death. I am sure of it.”
Death scans my face with an unknown expression. “You know my name isn’t D-”
“Your wine sir and madam,” The waiter says coming out of nowhere. He sets the wine glasses down and pours the red liquid into it. “Your food will be here in less than ten minutes,”
Death and I take the wine glasses in our hands simultaneously. I take a sip of the sweet sour taste that coats my tongue. “What were you saying before the waiter came? He caught me off guard,”
Death waves his hand in response. “No, it was nothing. Back to the formal, we have to get a dress for you and I already taught you the etiquette. Everything will be fine like you said, correct?”
“Perfect, everything will be perfect.”
“Well, I’ll take your word for it,” Death says, taking a long sip “You know, the next step will be easy like the first. It’s just giving up locations that you loved,”
Compared to the others, he is right. It is easy. “So, what do we have to do?”
“We just need to visit them and close the seal of connection with them. You just have to turn your back to these places and solemnly swear never to be attached to them again. The only downside is that you have to go there physically. We can do this after the formal,”
“Yeah, this should be easy. I already detached myself from the lake. They told me to detach myself from the place of Death to move on the first time. I only care for my house and Jason’s house anyway,”
My mind pauses and flashes to that library. The mossy staircase is clear before my eyes. I think of Axel at his desk reading away at books. I strangely want to be there. My feet are aching to walk there and take a book onto the roof like that day.
“Do I have to give up places I became attached to as a ghost too? Or do I have to give up the places I was attached to when I was alive only?”
Death examines my face and posture. “No, all of it. Every place you’ve ever become attached too.”
“So, I have three then. My house, Jason’s house, and Token Street.”
“Token Street?” Death wonders out loud. “That sounds familiar…Whatever, we’ll go there together anyway. Then we’ll move on to the fifth,”
“And then the sixth,” I mutter.
The sixth step. The last step before I turn to sea foam like Jess. I will cease to exist and my soul will be transported to my eternal place of choice. I steal a glance at Death with the heaviest heart. He catches me despite my sneakiness and grins. My chest warms and I return his sincere smile.
What if I want to stay a little longer?
______
YO! This is tough business. The writing biz when your busy. I’ll tell you all what was all going on in the author’s note. Don’t worry, that’s far away. FAR AWAY. lol.
But yeah, I am happy I made a schedule I can stick to.
Love y’all! :*