Brittany found herself sitting in a booth in a small café. It just happened to be the same restaurant that Riley took her to for their first date. They chatted over coffee and bagels, sharing their life stories with each other. Ever since Brittany was a young girl, she had dreamed of being a dancer. That was exactly what she had told Riley. He told her about how had recently gotten interested in Chemistry. His dream consisted of becoming a professor. But maybe that was the was the one dream of his that killed him….
She remembered the day like it was yesterday. The phone call that she received from the hospital. The deafening silence that seemed to bury her alive as the phone fell to the floor. The tears that sub consciously found their way into her eyes. The receptionist that had told her they were doing everything in their power to save him. But had they really? Because Brittany had trusted the hospital, surgeons, doctors, and nurses with her husband's life. And they had failed her.
Riley and Brittany dated a good four years before he had proposed. It was their anniversary and just like on every one that they had been dating, they spent it at the little café where it had all begun. He simply asked her to do him a big favor and as head-over-heels in love with him as she was, of course she agreed to do anything. His smile broadened and he slipped a ring on her finger, it slightly sparkling under the light above their table. From that day forward, Brittany couldn't help but admire how quickly she had said yes. How in love with him she was.
Brittany ordered a bagel and a cup of coffee, even though it was the middle of the day. She sat in the booth and looked around, nibbling on her bagel. The place had barely changed since her last visit there. Sure, the cooks and waitresses were different, but the bulk of the restaurant was the same. She abandoned the bagel back on the plate and continued looking around. The last time she had been there, was her last time seeing Riley laughing and chatty before the shooting. They had met up for lunch while he was on break from teaching classes. The couple didn't really talk about anything in particular, just happy to be spending their free time together. The little date was sadly ended when Riley had to go get back to the college to grade papers. That was her final time she got to speak to him, kiss him "hello", or hug him "goodbye".
Brittany didn't even notice when a beautiful Latin woman slid onto the bench on the opposite side of the booth. The stranger tapped her fingers on the table. "Yo. You gonna eat that or what?"