All Chapters of I'll Stop Being Everyone's Burden: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

Mom sent me a message. "I left some food in the fridge that I made this morning, so warm it and eat it; keep it low-fat and don't add any seasoning." In that instant, my eyes welled up. Mom had been leaving before sunrise to run her street stall ever since I was diagnosed with severe renal insufficiency, but she always made my breakfast according to my diet before she went. Dad worked during the day and delivered food at night, working nonstop to support us.Jolene was beautiful and a talented dancer, but she hadn't touched her dance shoes in ten years because she had to donate a kidney to me.There were quite a few times when I got up at night and caught Jolene on tiptoe, twirling gently in the living room, looking as graceful as a swan. She should have been soaring through the sky like one, not turning into an ugly duckling for my sake.I slipped on a mask and grabbed a cab to the hospital.Layla Warner, my attending doctor, asked solemnly, "Do you really want to forego the t

I sat in the seat Jolene had been sitting in and ate the food Mom had specially prepared for me. I was crying as I drank the soup that came with the steamed cabbage, so it ended up being salty. I could feel the pain in my lower back intensifying, which meant that my kidney disease was acting up again. I was all alone in the private dining room when a waiter walked up awkwardly and asked, "Can you please give me your parents' contact information? They still haven't settled the bill…" I meant to settle Jolene's bill, but my pockets were empty. I had used all my pocket money to pay for the cab to the hospital earlier.I forced down the rest of the cabbage soup along with my tears, then ravenously ate the delicious dishes left on the table. I hadn't had any glazed roast chicken and jumbo shrimp in ages. I had imagined they would taste heavenly, but now they all tasted unbearably sour and bitter.I forced myself to swallow, though the food tasted like cardboard.Jolene suddenly p

I couldn't help but feel a pang in my chest. How could Mom, Dad, and Dominic just leave Jolene behind? How many times had they done the same to her over those 18 years, when I wasn't there to see it? I wanted to reach out and comfort her, but my hand passed through her face. I couldn't do anything. I was already dead. I couldn't even comfort Jolene anymore.I wanted to cry too, but I was already dead. I couldn't possibly cry now.Jolene wiped her tears and headed back the way we had come instead of going home. She retraced the path we had taken, softly calling out to me. "It's time to go home, Natalie! I'm really sorry… I know I shouldn't have been jealous of you…"She passed the place where I had jumped into the river and saw that the police had cordoned off the area. She stopped for a moment, then went around it. "Natalie wanted to live so badly. She's going to be fine."She spent the entire night searching for me, her feet covered in blisters and her voice gone. She returned h

Mom and Dad looked at Jolene after hearing that, then quietly shifted their gaze over to my funeral portrait.I hovered over them, saying, "You two owe Jolene an apology for wrongly accusing her!"They couldn't possibly hear what I said, though.Mom buried her face in her hands in despair, while Dad let out a sorrowful sigh.I was confused. Why weren't they happy even with me gone? I didn't want things to turn out this way. Jolene got up and dropped to her knees in front of my funeral portrait. "Do you have a grudge against us? What was going through your head right before you ended your life, Natalie?"I just wanted everyone to be healthy and happy. I wanted to see you smile more often. I was already dead, though, so no one could hear what I had to say.It was then that the doorbell rang. Dominic opened the door to find Ms. Lowe holding a bouquet of white lilies. "I'm so sorry for your loss…"Jolene's eyes were brimming with tears. "Natalie died because of me, Ms. Lowe! If I