Nouvelles Vagues 3

Martin closed the door behind him, his heart light and his mind at ease. He didn't lock the door - there was no need to. This was the last time. He was leaving. He was finally going to join the love of his life, far, far away. This next trip would be his last.

He would have liked to leave sooner, but he couldn't. There were still people who counted on him, and he would have felt terrible letting them down. He wasn't the kind of person that put himself before others.

All his life, he'd done what was expected of him. He'd behaved well to everyone, trying to help people when he could, and sometimes even when he shouldn't have.

But all that would soon be irrelevant.

He placed the package he'd just picked up at the post office on the living room table. The Swiss postmark confirmed that the content was indeed what he had been feverishly awaiting the past few weeks. In his 85 years of life, he'd had time to make the acquaintance of many people, some of whom owed him a few favors…

He had been planning this for some time, so nothing was left to chance. He placed three letters on the table, one for his daughter, one for the police and one for his friends.

As for the rest, everything was in order with his notary. He was leaving his daughter plenty to pay for her funeral, and she wouldn't have to worry about money for a few years, or even longer if she did well. For the police, it explained what awaited the person who opened the door to her room. And for his friends, the message was short, because the few really important people already knew the essentials. And so much for the others.

He arranged the letters so that they were clearly visible, and headed for the bathroom.

He gave himself a final makeover, because he wanted to be as presentable as possible for his upcoming trip. And above all, for the woman he was about to join.

The woman who had been his wife, his best friend, his sunshine - in short, his whole life for almost 60 years. And who had left prematurely several months earlier.

He was serene, for he knew that the wait would finally be over, and they would soon be together again.

Once satisfied with his appearance, he headed for his bedroom, where he smiled upon seeing the photos of his soulmate. He instinctively touched his wedding ring, still on his finger, as if to reassure himself.

He lay down on the bed, package in hand, and took out its content. A well-protected syringe, full of transparent liquid.

Without hesitation, he stuck the needle into his arm, directly through the tissue, and pressed the plunger to inject all the product.

Feeling the numbness quickly overcome him, he lay back, clutching the photo of his wife to his heart.

“I'm coming...” he breathed in a whisper, a smile on his face.

Then he simply drifted off to sleep, to begin his final journey.