Eliza knew that she would die today. She had accepted it. So when she felt her heart stop, she did not thrash or cry or pray. She simply smiled and closed her eyes one last time.
The afterlife was so beautiful, a floor of soft clouds and the sky a perpetual blue deeper than infinity. The world smelled of summer, and Eliza could tell without even looking that she had the appearance of her past self, a stunning girl with soft hair.
She waltzed through the throes of people gathered round, smiling at George and Martha holding hands facing away from her. They appeared so sweet and loving, like she and Alexander had before he passed. Where is Alexander?
A mess of fabrics flooded her vision as her sisters Angelica and Peggy ran up to her, overjoyed.
"Oh Eliza!" She had expected them to say. "How we've missed you and watched over you from above all these years! Come with us at once, Alexander has been waiting!"
Of course, as fate would have it, this simply was not what happened. Peggy embraced Eliza, and Angelica- the name now more fitting than ever- smiled softly. Softly, but with a hint of something else. Sadness, perhaps?
"Eliza," Angelica spoke as Peggy let her loose from the death-grip. " We are so fortunate to have you back, and we have missed you dearly."
"Oh, I missed the both of you so much! Did you see what I did while I was alive? I spread Alexander's story! I showed the world how truly wonderful he was through his thousands of pages of writings! Where is he, where is my beautiful Alexander?" Eliza excitedly let out, joy bursting at the seams of her spirit.
"We did see you, Eliza, but there is something you should know." Peggy said to her newly departed sister, her bright eyes softening.
"What is it? Surely it can not be too bad." Eliza replied.
"Well, you see… Alexander wasn't exactly… waiting for you. He had other business to attend to here. Things that you may not approve of."
"What kind of things, sister?" Eliza had said, slightly afraid. Had Alexander been with Maria Reynolds this whole time? Was Alexander not here with them in paradise? Peggy had no chance to respond, as none other than Alexander came strolling up towards the group, with a man Eliza recognized as Alex's dear friend from the war, John Laurens.
"Eliza! I saw the work you did for me. You were wonderful. I am so glad that you are here with us!" He said, not letting go of John Laurens's hand as they spoke.
"Oh my love, I did it all for you!" Eliza exclaimed as she pressed herself into Alexander's arms. " You wrote so wonderfully, I just had to show the world! You wrote like you were running out of time."
Alexander pulled away from the embrace, visibly uncomfortable. He glanced breifly at Laurens as he took his adjacent hand and placed it on Eliza's shoulder before he spoke.
"Eliza… I… I'm sorry."
"What for?" She replied, uneasy.
"I don't love you. I never did. I'm so sorry."
"What? But we were married. We had seven children! How could you possibly not have loved me?!"
"Eliza, do you know what homosexuals are?"
"Yes, they were those men who loved other men that you were so adamant about loosening the law for, but that does not apply here! You said that… Oh. So you and Laurens…"
"Yes."
"And you never really loved me?"
"Eliza, I loved you the most I could, but how happy do you think I could be living a lie?"
"A lie was all I had, Alexander! How do you think I felt when you died? How do you think I felt when you cheated on me with that woman? How could you possibly claim to be homosexual when you had sex with another woman and publicly wrote about it?!"
"Eliza... She was a woman who owed me many favors. I had to cover up my relationship with John. It was all very complicated, and I ruined your trust, but it was the only way. I promise you that."
"Alright... John," Eliza said, turning from the man she used to be married to, and now facing the very same man's lover. " You are a very lucky man."
And so, our heroes walked off into the sunset, a group of sister reunited at last, and two lovers who were too good for this world.