Free Death of an Immortal by Duncan McGeary

and for the first time, she didn’t seem suspicious of him.
    “Pick up the check,” he urged.
    She put her hand on the check where it lay on the table. She hesitated, then flipped it over and looked down. “Holy shit!”
    “Yes, your sister was quite generous.”
    “I could live on this for ten years. Hell, I don’t need to go to school.”
    “Yes, and then what? Besides, as I’ve said, the insurance is predicated on your continuing your education.”
    “Well, Central Oregon Community College doesn’t cost all that much,” she said. “I’m not leaving Bend. I can’t leave my mom and dad right now. They need my help.”
    “I understand they have a new four-year program here,” Terrill said.
    “Yeah, if you want to be in the hospitality industry, or a chef, or something like that. Hard sciences are still over in the Valley.”
    The restaurant was getting more crowded with the dinner rush, the swinging doors were opening more and more often, and the clanking of dishes and the shouts of cooks washing over their conversation was making it more and more difficult for them to hear each other.
    Four guys wearing soiled baseball uniforms came in and sat at the next table over. They weren’t lowering their voices from the playing field level.
    “There’s a nightclub next door,” Sylvie said. “It should be quieter over there this early in the evening.”
    The other waitresses waved to her on her way out, and the desk clerk smiled brightly. It was obvious Sylvie was popular around here. They checked him out, too. A well-dressed guy in his thirties––an obvious catch. Then again, a girl like Sylvie probably had plenty of guys sniffing around.
     
    #
     
    The nightclub was mostly empty, it being too early for the nighttime crowd. They found a quiet table near the bar and ordered a couple of Deschutes Ales to pay for their table.
    “You old enough?” Terrill asked belatedly.
    Sylvie smiled brightly. “Turned twenty-one a month ago.”
    After they had both taken a deep swig of their beers, Terrill cleared his throat. “You were saying that there weren’t any hard science programs here, but with enough money, the programs will come to you. Believe me, with your grades, no school will turn you down, especially if you pay full tuition.”
    “How the hell do you know about my grades?”
    “Well, I assumed. I’m right, aren’t I?”
    Sylvie looked away. She had stuffed the check in her pocket, and it seemed to him that she didn’t even want to think about it.
    “Why are you fighting this?” he asked softly.
    Tears came to her eyes and she looked down. “Jamie died. It seems all wrong that I should benefit from that.”
    “It’s not your fault,” Terrill said reassuringly. “You had nothing to do with it.”
    “But I still feel guilty. Like I caused it, or something.”
    “What you said last night at your house––she got unlucky, that’s all. She met the wrong guy. It could have happened here, or anywhere, believe me.”
    “But she might not have been over there in Portland at all if it wasn’t for me.” Sylvie put her face into her hands and sobbed. “She wouldn’t have been doing… what she was doing.”
    “Sylvie. Listen to me.” Terrill stared at her until she looked up and met his eyes. “Your sister was thinking of you, and you will honor her memory by taking this money and making something of your life.”
    “I will?” She smiled sadly.
    “Yes. You will. It’s what Jamie wanted.”
     
    #
     
    They drank their beers and ordered another round, and settled into a companionable conversation about schools. Sylvie seemed to know a lot about which colleges had the best programs, and Terrill encouraged her to look into them. She was easy to talk to, just as Jamie had been. But whereas Jamie had had a slightly defeated manner, Sylvie was still optimistic, still hopeful the world would come through for her.
    They didn’t notice when the four baseball players from the restaurant came in,