Her Bucket List

The first on her bucket list was to attend a party from the twenties. She was so excited that she kept on thinking about it throughout the night. Even if her bed was extremely comfortable, she tossed and turned, thinking what would she look like tomorrow, what the party would feel like.

She attended no party in her twenty-three years, not even the freshmen's party at her university. Asian parties didn't count, they comprise a family gossiping about those that did not attend and food overdose.

It's almost midnight, but she still couldn't relax her mind. No difference in having anxiety. She couldn't believe this was happening to her because of a party.

After an arduous counting of sheep and whatnot, Isabel finally fell asleep and falls right into a dream, it's about a Camp in the desert. It looked like a makeshift tent, but the inside was so glorious, no less luxurious than what she had in her tiny villa.

Like in her other dreams the previous nights, she was going to dance for a king wearing one of those sensual dresses of ancient times. The portion of the chest it was covering was only the tip.

Even the music has an aphrodisiac effect on its listeners.

She didn't want to dance alone, because she felt being targeted, vulnerable like prey to an unknown, horrible predator.

There were people outside the tent, talking something in Arabic, but not quiet. She looked around and tried running away. But it was impossible to leave because there were guards outside the tent. They looked aggressive and terrifying. It looked like they trapped her.

She tried hard to look for a way to escape. The guards outside noticed her distress, so they came closer to investigate. Eyes wide, Isabel screamed, but no voice came out of her mouth. Guards came closer and closer. Her intense fear woke her up in a jolt.

"What the hell was that?" She woke up, her heart still pumped in acceleration. Catching her breath, she turned to her small kitchen and drinks a glass of water.

Her eyes searched the bedside clock. It's only seven? Damn, she should have slept longer. She took a deep breath, gathered herself up, and went to the splendid bath to wash her face. She saw herself in the mirror. Her face showed like she didn't even sleep. She looked tired and her skin unhealthy.

"Well, you got cancer, stupid!" she reminded herself. What could she expect with her condition? She stared at her reflection as if it's someone else and scrutinized it passionately. She hated what she saw in the mirror, it's as horrible as her nightmare.

A few minutes after she settled and got dressed, Ed came knocking, brought her breakfast.

"Do you have plans to go to the beach today?" Ed, slightly comfortable now, started asking her such a casual question. But his face was red.

"Depends if I still have time." But Isabel actually appreciates Ed's warmness, answered him with a bright smile.

Instead of Alex and Sonia, Ed drove her to the greenhouse. Alex did not bring her the other day because she knew Isabel would come here, eventually. It's a restricted place, but with Ed's guidance, she could get any vegetables she wanted to plant.

Borres was a tropical country, so she could only plant local vegetables like bokchoy, squash, lettuce, tomatoes, string beans, and onions. She even wanted to have a vineyard, but they didn't have seeds of grapes. So she settled for the vegetables.

At this point in the day, the sun could burn her skin, so she would plant the seedlings at dawn. She had something else in mind. After taking the plants back to her house, she asked Ed to drive her to Hasher's Grove.

So she spent her time chilling in that grove for that mesmerizing street food she saw when Alex and Sonia gave her a tour. She also wanted to try that Ice cream they handed to her. From where she was standing, two old men were playing chess under a pink tropical wisteria vine.

The place was a cross between a Chinese peach blossom orchard and Lord of the rings looking ambiance, Isabel thought it gave a relaxing vibe. Since Borres was indeed a warm country, they design the grove for the dwellers of Raven's Grove to chill.

The ocean is also a few feet away, but an enormous canopy of trees and vine blocks the warm wind. And in the middle of the grove, there is a Koi pond that has plenty of blooming giant lilies that have a variety of colors.

She planned to bring a book sometimes and chill under a hammock under a gigantic tree, sightsees around, and try every food they offer. She liked the shrimp cake, it's good with ice-cold fresh strawberry juice.

At the corner, some musicians were playing drums and tambourines. She got closer to check. She excitedly put her food aside and ran towards the guitar and started strumming. The musicians followed her tune. She had fun playing.

Although she ate too much of the food in that grove, it was delicious she couldn't get enough. She sat on the sand near a bend coconut tree. She had seaweed rice rolls with grilled beef and pickled vegetables filling for lunch.

Earlier, beside her, was a jug of coconut-pineapple juice. The warm wind was mocking her for enjoying this too much. Tried to make her feel guilty, but she's not at all.

A smile of content escaped her mouth. With a piece of cool upbeat music in the background, it's a perfect paradise. She wished she could show it to her mom. That way, she wouldn't worry if she's in pain or not. She took a lot of selfies of her eating the delicious delicacies with superb presentations.

The stroll made her sweaty, so she called Alex to give her a ride home to bathe. Her sweet escape in Hasher's Grove tired her, so she just wanted to chill in her own hut and watch some movies.

She was just so full that she couldn't think of anything sad. And so she thought until she gets past a patient that passed out on the beach.

The staff came rushing to save him; they brought a piece of reviving equipment. She even saw someone injected him something.

She guessed it's the facility doctors that attended the patient. She got scared suddenly. When Alex felt the scene disturb her, she sped up the cart.

Isabel was zoning out when they reached her house. She couldn't pay attention to what Alex had said. She had little comprehension of what she said. All she heard was, she can call her if she needed help. She just nodded and went inside her bathroom and soak herself in flowery fragrant bubbles.

She took a nap, and she woke up refreshed. Isabel told herself that dying was part of the process and she couldn't escape it. It's three in the afternoon, so she got up and called Alex to bring her iced lemon water. She felt guilty for eating too much so she wanted to flush everything, it's out of habit.

Her hair and makeup took an hour, so it's around five when Alex brought her to the dressmaker's place. There's a minor alteration, and it took another thirty minutes.

An hour passed since Alex took her to a salon to glow her up. They hired a professional make-up artist when they put on her feathered headdress. When they're done, they faced her in a mirror.

She looked classic. The black dress she's wearing made her body looked sensual. She didn't look sick and dying.

"Oh, thanks! You nailed it girls" Her appearance for the day lifted her up and slightly eased her mood.

"Wow! You look extremely pretty. " The artist couldn't help but compliment her look. She looked at herself in the mirror.

"I know, thank you." She turned around, amazed by her glittering black dress.

Indeed, she looked beautiful. But stared at herself in front of a mirror, she suddenly feels empty. She thought about Phillip. If he can see her now, what would be his reaction?

Alex brought her back to her hut to rest for a little. She was told that a car would fetch her around six.