Last Request

Author's Note: *Written for the Writer's Cramp contest*

         Mark found her sitting in a chair facing the mantle. He held the plate out to her. "Here."

         "Pass."

         He sat it down. "You got to eat."

         "It's Memorial Day and I don't understand why."

         "Well, you see, it is a day to remember the men and -"

         Nevada stood and faced him. "I know that. I mean Lila. She left me her ashes and I don't know why. I was sitting here, thinking about her trying to recall if I did anything to make her think we were friends and I'm coming up blank." She rubbed her arms and walked up to the mantle and the urn. She hadn't been Lila's friend. In fact they hadn't seen or spoken with each other since they graduated high school. Thirteen years ago. She had barely even reacted when she heard the news. She had gotten a call from another old classmate telling her Lila had died and how.

         Mark walked up to her and held her. "Ask yourself, was there something about your life, something she admired, during those years in school that would have caused her to trust you. She must have trusted you."

         Nevada thought back. What came to mind was a scene at the graduation party. She and Christina had gotten into another one of their famous catfights and Melantha and Lila pulled them apart. She had looked into Lila's eyes and saw something. She still didn't know what it was. Pity? Understanding?

         Maybe it wasn't the past, maybe it was the now. Nevada was famous. Maybe Lila had died with envy of her? No, that wasn't it.

         She pulled away from Mark and walked to the window. Across the street she saw a family setting up a table. The grill was going. Memorial Day was supposed to be a family day. Instead she was all withdrawn and closed up thinking about death.

         "Maybe she left you her ashes because she was still reaching out even as she was planning death?"

         Could that be it? Only once did Nevada even think of suicide and sadly it had made national papers. It had been right after Melantha had been killed. "Mark, depression is a dark voided pit of which one who has never had it can never imagine. I could see, hear, smell everything, but all the time I felt like I couldn't get the pain to stop fast enough."

         "You snapped out of it when your sister needed you."

         She turned. "Course I did. Two damn long years of almost dying, almost ending the pain. Yet I'm hardly the role model for a depression survivor. It is different for everyone which is why some people still die. Why Lila is dead." She paused. "And I got the ashes."

         Mark reached for her again but she brushed him off and walked back to the urn. She spoke to it softly. "Why Lila? Why kill yourself and give me this burden? I didn't know you. I wasn't your friend."

         She sat down again and this time Mark left her alone. As he walked out of the room he saw her pick up the hotdog. He then turned away and thought to himself. When Nevada had been notified of the ashes she had been surprised and shocked. The ashes arrived with a letter. A letter he hadn't read. Nevada had put it in the file cabinet after she read it.

         He went to get it. Opening it he read. Nevada, We may have only been classmates. You grew to be successful and I failed in life. But I trust you. Since my world ended that September day I lost everything. I tried. I really did. To rise above it but I gave up. Given you my ashes is a way of closing out the old with the new. To spread my wings and fly out of this life I knew. Remember the only thing more powerful than friends is family. Lila

         He went back to Nevada. "What happened to Lila's family?"

         "They died at the World Trade Center. Why? You think she just chose me because she had noone left?"

         He held out the letter. "No, I think she chose you because only you out of everyone she knew could return her to New York. Read this again."

         With her curiosity peeked she walked up and took the letter. Mark pointed out what caught his eyes. "September day, lost, family; you see. It is a message. She wants you to take her ashes to the site of the World Trade Center collapse."

         "Me? How? I mean what do I do when I'm there? What does she mean by 'spreading wings'?"

         "I think she means she wants you to scatter her ashes above the site. We'll figure it out in New York." As he went for the phone, Nevada took another look at the urn. She sworn it smiled.

Word Count: 819