Chapter 4
After I got my plane ticket, I stayed calm and waited for boarding.
I sat and watched people moving around, some were saying goodbye, and others were meeting again. For once, it wasn’t just the rising and setting of the sun outside a hospital window.
Out
of nowhere, my phone started buzzing nonstop as new messages poured in
I had already blocked Stephen and Braelyn. Travis and Helena were the only ones who still checked in. I was an orphan and had battled illness for years; I didn’t have many close friends.
When I opened my phone, I saw my old post had suddenly gone viral.
It had gotten more than a thousand likes and hundreds of comments, most were people trying to comfort me and trash–talking the “male lead“.
“Poor girl, I hope she gets better soon.
“This made me cry. I hope God punishes that jerk and spares her.”
“Backing the comment above. A scumbag like him is not even worth the air he breathes.
I read each comment slowly, and their kindness really moved me.
Lots of people were worried about how I was doing. I replied to all of them with one message, “I’m done waiting. I want to spend my last days traveling.”
Right after that post, I got a direct message. “Hi, have you picked a place
Chapter 4
to visit?”
The sender’s profile picture was a cute golden retriever wearing a camera. around its neck, smiling with its tongue out.
Sensing no ill intent, I replied, “Planning to start with Mount Desert Island.”
It’s one of the first places in America to catch the sunrise.
He asked, “You want to catch the sunrise?”
I replied, “Yeah.”
He wrote, “Would it be okay if I came along?”
I stopped typing for a second, thinking about turning him down. But before I could say anything, he sent a bunch of pictures.
There was an ID photo, casual shots, award certificates, and even a short video where he introduced himself.
His name is Raphael Matisse. He’s 26 years old, from Los Angeles, and works as a documentary director. Lately, he’s been gathering stories and said he was really interested in my story.
He looked handsome, young, and promising, but honestly, he sounded exactly like a scammer.
However, when I looked him up online, I found out he was a real person.
After thinking about it for a while, I ended up saying yes to his offer.
At least if I die while traveling, someone would be around to handle it.
Right before the flight, we exchanged contact information.
Chapter
Not long after I dropped my luggage off at the guesthouse I booked, I got
a text.
It was still from the account with the golden retriever profile picture. He sent a voice note saying, “I’m here, but I brought a lot of stuff. Can you come help me carry some?”
I froze for a second, trying to process that he had just asked a terminally ill patient to lift his bags.
Then I chuckled without knowing why, grabbed my phone, and headed outside.
The guesthouse was in a narrow lane, so taxis couldn’t get through and had to stop at the front.
As I walked over, I saw someone who really stood out.
He was nearly 1.9 meters tall, and his outfit wasn’t just
was
downright shabby. He looked like he could head straight to a farm and work the land rather than film a documentary.
Scattered around him were pots, pans, and two suitcases.
The only things that looked well cared for were his good–looking face and the camera hanging from his neck.
He saw me, smiled brightly, and waved. “Hi, I’m Raphael!” he said.
His happy face made me think of the cute golden retriever in his profile picture.
Maybe pets really do take after their owners.
I walked up, introduced myself, and asked if he needed help with anything.
He nodded toward a smaller box sitting beside him.
I gave it a nudge, and it was light. But I teased him anyway, “Don’t you feel bad asking a sick person to carry your stuff?”
Raphael shook his head firmly. “Someone who’s bold enough to spend their final days traveling probably doesn’t want to be treated differently. From the moment we started chatting, I’ve seen you as just a regular person.”
His words caught me off guard, but he had a point.
We got along easily from the start and had no trouble getting comfortable around each other.
On the way back, he talked nonstop about a trip he just finished deep in the woods.
He had taken photos of a 70–year–old man who lives in the wild, faces danger every day, and is deeply tanned from the sun.
Then out of nowhere, he added with a grateful smile, “I’m really lucky to have met you. This place we’re staying at is so nice, I almost cried.”
His words made me laugh.
I responded, “Then make sure I look good on camera. This is part of my life story.”
“Leave it to me!” he replied.
After we ate, I lay down and took deep breaths, trying to ease the tiredness weighing me down.
My body felt so drained.
There are still so many places I dream of seeing, but I’m not sure how
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Chapter 4
many I’ll actually reach.
Just as I was starting to feel a bit low, my phone buzzed.
It was a message from Raphael: “Can we start filming now?”
“Sure,” I answered.
