LONELY HEART

"Isn't this beautiful?" Mrs. Anna exclaimed, holding up the dress hanger with her right hand while using her left hand to push the lower part of the dress forward, revealing its intricate design.

The bridal boutique was teeming with the bride's loved ones, all endeavoring to select the ideal gown for the future Mrs. The sun shone brightly on this jubilant afternoon filled with grins and happiness.

The boutique, Ethereal Elegance Bridal, situated in Lagos Island, is renowned for its bustling commercial activities, and for its exquisite bridal wear and exceptional customer service. Royal Elegance is the epitome of luxury and sophistication in the bridal industry. With a curated selection of designer gowns and accessories, the boutique caters to brides seeking timeless elegance and unparalleled quality for their special day, making it the top choice for Cassandra and her family.

Everything is going smoothly, what could go wrong?

"Why don't you try it on, my dear?" Mrs. Anna urged. Mrs. Anna is a 43-year-old chubby married woman, related to Cassandra from her paternal side. She's also dark in complexion and a civil servant. She’s a very supportive Aunt although she’s a bit of a busybody, but she’s got an eye for beautiful things. She always knows how to make a statement just with her outfit alone, having her around means having the best.

The bride rose from her seat and made her way to the fitting room, which was located at the right from which she and her guest were seated, she took the dress and went in, she was wearing a yellow chiffon top on black leggings, she only took off the top which was long and wore the wedding dress over the leggings. A few minutes later, she emerged gracefully, looking like an angel according to those present in the bridal boutique.

"It's perfect for you, truly splendid." Aunt Patricia proudly said. Everyone else immediately agreed and coaxed her into purchasing it. Aunt Patricia is a 48-year-old, chocolate-skinned businesswoman, related to Cassandra from her maternal side. She is considered to be brutally realistic which can sometimes be seen as rude or mean, so getting a compliment from her is like getting the golden ticket from a lottery.

The dress Cassandra selected was a breathtaking off-shoulder floral long-sleeve gown, with intricate details, and a flowing silhouette reminiscent of a royal bride making her grand entrance. As she slipped into the gown, she couldn't help but marvel at how it accentuated her natural beauty, drawing awed gasps from her entourage as they envisioned her walking down the aisle.

Though the price tag of the dress gave Cassandra a moment's pause, her fleeting doubts were quickly dispelled by the image of her fiancé’s face lighting up at the sight of her. Casting a glance at her family members, whose approving gazes mirrored her excitement, Cassandra felt a surge of confidence wash over her. At that moment, she knew that this gown was more than just a dress – it was a symbol of love and happiness, worth every penny spent.

With a contented smile, Cassandra pushed aside any lingering doubts, reminding herself that true beauty lay not in material possessions, but in the joy and love shared with those closest to her. After all, as the old saying goes, 'money talks', but it's the heart that truly speaks volumes.

Regrettably, a telephone call meant for the bride interrupted their joyful mood and they passed her phone over to answer it: a mystery caller? She wondered but picked up anyway assuming that it might be a client from work.

Cassandra works in the management department for a company called Nexus Solutions Group, which is a leading management consulting firm based in Lagos, Nigeria. Specializing in strategic management and business development, Nexus Solutions Group offers tailored solutions to help organizations optimize their operations, drive growth, and achieve their strategic objectives.

"Hello?” She answered calmly. Eagerly hoped that the office wouldn’t call her in for work on this beautiful and special day, even though she knew she couldn’t refuse them if they called her.

"Good afternoon, I'm calling from Unity General Hospital; am I speaking with Miss Cassandra?" said the caller politely and respectfully, as she awaited a positive response.

Cassandra began worrying because there was nothing out of the ordinary. She became concerned, receiving such a call without prior knowledge of any sick person; however, she confirmed by saying nervously  "Yes this is she", to the caller at the other end of the phone.

After picking up the call the atmosphere changed within minutes of answering it, everyone became curious as to what caused her expression to change, and they started asking questions trying to know why she suddenly looked. Cassandra's once happy expression turned gloomy and worrisome, it felt like she had been told of an unfortunate incident, and what the incident was, was what everyone was curious about.

Cassandra didn't utter a word rather she went straight into the changing room after she abruptly ended the call, where she took off the wedding dress. She quickly left through the glass door, holding onto her belongings tightly like a woman being chased by a predator.

The guests who were seated felt insulted and confused by the sudden action taken by the Bride, “Has her manners gone out the window?” Anna Patricia asked, her face filled with anger about to burst. “What is making her move so fast?” Mrs. Anna asked, eagerly wanting the full gist of things but also worried about her niece. As they wondered amongst themselves, Rita (the chief bridesmaid) intervened, she calmed and advised them to leave promising to update them later before chasing after Cassandra.

Rita, who is Cassandra’s friend was as curious as anyone else about her friend's sudden change. Rita rendezvoused with Cassandra, who had coincidentally found the car keys belonging to her father's cray Lexus car, parked a few meters before the entrance of the bridal shop.

Rita hastily entered the vehicle before Cassandra could speed away. Once inside, Rita inquired about various matters while fastening her seatbelt; “How could you do such a thing? Why are you rushing out? Where are you going to?”

Cassandra remained silent, rather she seemed panicked, her hands were shaking as she tried to insert the Lexus key. Once it started, Cassandra quickly accelerated, making a U-turn, throwing Rita off as she felt that her heart was either going to poop out of her chest or she would die of an accident if care was taken. Rita sat down quietly in the passenger seat until they arrived at the hospital called Cassandra.

Upon arriving at the hospital, Cassandra dashed in, without even locking the car, and asked for a patient's room number before hurrying off, after receiving directions. Rita is left behind struggling to keep up, as Cassandra walks faster and faster toward the patient's room, doubt creeps into her mind. She tried convincing herself that what she heard on the phone was false, until finally reaching the hospital room - where reality hit hard.

"Sam..." she muttered in a low voice, she walked closer to the bed with a heavy heart, trying her hardest not to lose hope. Unfortunately, her hopes were useless, as tears slowly streamed down her cheeks; she clutched the patient's hand tightly.

It's all just a terrible dream, a nightmare even, were the thoughts that danced around her mind. Sadly, Cassandra kept on hoping with her might, that she would wake up from such a terrible dream.

The man lying in bed struggled to breathe even though he was on life support, he looked like he had lost more than 100 pounds, and was pale like a man reaching the end of the line, with dark circles under his eyes which were shut tightly due to discomfort. Sam, the patient, slowly opened his eyes and turned his head towards Cassandra’s direction.

"Don't cry,” he uttered with a hoarse and weak voice, looking at her with tired yet loving eyes. He was too weak to move his body, he wanted to touch the face of the woman he loved before his time came.

Their wedding was only three weeks away, making this news even more unfortunate. He appeared healthy and strong so it seemed impossible that he could be suffering from cancer. That was what she thought, even Rita had similar thoughts as she watched her friend from a distance.

"Why didn't you tell me? We would have taken our time." Cassandra stammered between sobs that hindered her speech, she tried hard to compose herself but all efforts were in vain.

"I'm sorry….” His voice faded as he replied, unable to complete his sentence before closing his eyes again – the rhythm that the heart monitor (electrocardiogram), which was maintaining a steady frequency became static. Panic set in as Cassie repeatedly called out Sam’s name but there was no response or movement from him. Rita quickly acted by moving into the hallway yelling for help.

“Doctor! Doctor!” she yelled at the top of her lungs, catching the attention of one formally dressed doctor and two nurses dressed uniformly in white gowns. They rushed over.

“Madam, please stay outside.” One of the nurses escorted Cassandra out of the ward, holding onto her with comforting words, trying her best to calm Cassandra down before leaving her to Rita. The sound of the door being shut terrified Cassandra, she wanted to see what was going on, why close the door? Why push me away? She wanted to be by his side.

Looking through the window pane, Cassandra watched the doctor attempting resuscitation efforts alongside the nurse, but they failed continuously for five minutes. The culmination came when they placed a white cloth, used as a blanket, over his head, indicating that the young man had kicked the bucket.

A reality that she hoped would never come true, it left the young lady emotionally devastated, she didn’t want to accept it, he must be awake he must be. The doctors stepped out of the ward to address the two women outside.

“I apologize, but…” he said with a saddened look. Those words alone spoke a million words before they could even reach the end. Cassandra knew then that the worst had indeed happened, and it was not a dream but the brutal reality of death taking away another living soul with its wicked hands.

Cassandra still didn’t want to accept, so she held on to the doctor's lab coat and egged “Please doctor, you can’t let him die. He isn’t dead, he spoke to me, he just spoke to me…”.She tried to enter the ward but Rita held her back, Cassandra became furious “Leave me, leave me be… I need to see him…” Rita kept holding her friend back, she hugged Cassandra as she cried. “please… just let me see him…” Cassandra said.

Her legs became weak making her fall to the ground, she let out a loud cry, Rita knelt on the floor to hug her friend in an attempt to comfort her. No words could be spoken to reassure Cassandra after this devastating loss, the nurses and Doctor left the two women feeling pity and sadness for Cassandra.

…

After someone’s death, it is customary to inform the relatives of the said person’s death. Some would expect that Cassandra would be the one to break the news, but in this case, it’s different.

Cassandra was still struggling to accept what had happened. Rita drove Cassandra and herself to Sam’s parents’ house. Cassandra was still in the car as Rita walked to the front door and knocked. Both the mother and father of the deceased answered the door and were told of the bad news.

Sam’s mother began wailing because her only child had left this world. The father tried calming and holding his wife as she sat on the floor crying and saying, “My son? Why my son? Why have they taken away my son? My only child… My only pride and joy.” Rita herself was trying to calm the mother as she continued to wail and cry.

Cassandra saw all this in full view, she was seated in the car stiff as a rock. Even she started to ask why. The tears she tried to hold back began streaming down her cheeks once again. She cried softly till she began losing her breath. She was sad, angry, and lost.

The news has been delivered, next is to plan the burial ceremony. Before any plans were made, guests who were expecting the wedding were informed of the news and change of plans. Instead of a wedding ceremony, which was to celebrate love and the union of two families, they were instead invited to a burial ceremony, celebrating the life of a man who had left the world at the age of twenty-seven.

This process took about three weeks to complete before the family went to a funeral home called Everlasting Memories Funeral Home. The funeral home is to handle the arrangements; the family meets with a funeral director to discuss services, burial procedures, and other details. Then they head to a church and inform the priest.

Three weeks later, the burial ceremony took place, and Sam’s body was buried in the cemetery. At the end of the ceremony, everyone started leaving for the next venue. A gathering was held after the funeral service, which provided an opportunity for mourners to offer condolences and support to the family.

As everybody left, one person remained present, alone, standing opposite the gravestone, clothed entirely in a black long-sleeved dress and slippers, wondering if forgiveness is possible, given her past neglectful behavior, which she contributed significantly towards the deceased’s untimely death. So she, Cassandra, thought even though it may not be true.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you were suffering… I’m truly sorry… can you ever forgive me?” These thoughts plagued her mind, forcing Cassandra to fall onto her knees, weeping profusely.

She was picked up by a sympathetic bystander who spoke in a calm voice. “Everything will be alright,” offering comfort during difficult times ahead, knowing how tough life can be, especially when dealing with the loss of a loved one.

She wonders whether she’ll be able to cope with the pain in her heart. Will she be able to continue living day-by-day after the demise of her beloved? Will she ever love again? Questions could only be answered after a long time of healing, but will she indeed heal from the unexpected pain of losing her beloved?