A couple weeks had passed since the small incident with the Brokers. Five was wearing her new lab coat and stethoscope I had bought her. She ran up and down the house using the stethoscope on everything, from walls to the kitchen sink.
She came up to me holding the stethoscope to my hand. She focused intently; her eyes narrowed.
As she did this I thought back to the Brokers. It felt different than any other job that I had.
I was so confused.
Five yanked my finger to get my attention. She signed what I understood to be terminal illness.
I laughed and held her close.
"I'll be ok, don't you worry about that."
She looked at me with bright eyes. In them I saw the future. A hope for a better tomorrow.
"Do you want to go to the park?" I quickly signed after setting her down.
She nodded excitedly as she rushed to get her shoes.
The next couple hours flew by. We visited the park, riding on swings and going down slides. We got ice cream and sat on a bench looking at the birds and clouds.
To be free like them…
Five tapped me and pointed at a boy who looked like he was dressed in a nurse outfit. I smiled and pushed her to go play with the boy. I sat back watching Five interact with this boy. They started to practice being doctor and nurse projecting their aspirations for the future.
"How is she able to connect with others so easily…" I muttered under my breath.
"I know it's amazing right," a woman said to me.
I looked up to who I assumed was the mother of the boy. She took a seat beside me, her perfume lingering in my nostrils.
"Children seem to be freer than anyone else. They don't chase purpose and live in the moment. Their worries are their next time they get to play. Not searching for meaning in a world that doesn't reward that," she said.
"Do you want to be like them?" I asked.
"No. I would hate that." She responded. "Would you?"
I thought about it.
"I don't know."
She glanced towards her child.
"That's dangerous. You should figure it out while you can."
She stood up, my nose trying to cling to the perfume.
"Well, it was nice talking to you, but we need to go."
She took her child and left the park.
Five ran over to me with her smile faded. At first, I thought it was because she had lost her friend. However, looking in her eyes the bright light that I had once seen was gone.
Instead, an abyss of pain took its place.
We went home and Five didn't smile for the rest of the day. She went to her room and refused to come out for the rest of the day.
It was the last day I would spend with Five.
It was the last day I would be alive.