My life began in the year that people now call 444 BC in Athens, Greece. Yes, I should be long dead by now, and yes, I am two thousand four hundred sixty years old. I was named Natassa, by my lovely mother. I cannot remember her, or my father, or my younger sisters. I remember my mother looked almost exactly like me, but I cannot remember anything else. I can't remember my mother's smile, or my father's voice, or my sisters' laughter. Anyway, when I was only 18 years old, I suddenly fell ill. I was so sick, and I knew that I was dying. I remember it. I remember it so clearly. The pain was unbearable. My chest felt like it was caving in, my head felt like Zeus's head probably did while giving birth to the goddess Athena, and my stomach felt like it was eating itself. I gasped for air, trying to hold onto my life. I took my last mortal breath, and everything went dark. There was a flash of light, and I caught a glimpse of Olympus itself. Then I felt someone grab my arm. He put his warm hand on my forehead and it felt like the warmth of a sunny Athenian day was coursing through my veins. Then I was home. I was no longer sick, no longer in pain. Death had been vanquished. I felt strong, healthy, warm. I felt so alive.
    It took me years to discover that I was no longer aging. I don't remember exactly how many, but at some point I began to notice that while my friends and family grew older, I stayed the same. I married a man named Heron, and we had five beautiful children. I watched my family, my friends, my husband, and my children, grow old and die. I kept on living. It was worse than dying. Yet, I watched the world keep on living. I moved around to wherever the excitement was. It got so boring staying in the same place for too long. Sometimes it seemed as if it was just the earth, the sun, and I. But my loneliness never lasted. I met so many amazing people. I lived in Greece until it fell. I moved to Rome for centuries, where I called myself Natalia. I married a few times, and once, when I was really bored, I pretended to be a man for a while. I fought in a few wars, married a lovely lady, assassinated Caesar, you know, your typical male Roman stuff. After Rome fell, I spent some time in France, where I called myself Noelle, some time in Spain, where I called myself Noelia, and some time in Germany, where I called myself Nortrud. Later, I moved to England. I called myself Natalie. I spent quite a long time in England. Then, in the 1600's I decided to go on an adventure to a new land. I boarded a ship called the Mayflower and sailed to what is now America. I still live in America. It's a very exciting place. In all my years, I've never seen anything like it. It's so new and fresh. Almost nothing in my life is new.
    One day, in the year 2016, I decided to go to the coffee shop on the corner. I quite liked it there. It was very peaceful, and it was a good place to write. I ordered a coffee with chocolate sauce and whipped cream, sat down at a table, and opened up my computer. A young man, who appeared to be about the same age that I was when I died, sat down at the table next to me.
“Hey.” He said. I looked up, irritated.“So, are you my appendix, because the feeling in my gut is telling me to take you out.” He grinned.
“No. But you should maybe see a doctor. You might have appendicitis.” I said, trying not to smile. That pickup line was so well planned. But really, I just wanted to write. Come on. I already know I'm stunningly beautiful. It's been 2,460 years. Hundreds of men (and quite a few women) have already told me this. Unfortunately, the boy kept talking.
“Oh, sorry, did I make you uncomfortable? That's so rude of me. I really should learn to watch my mouth.”
“It's fine.”
“What are you writing?”
“A book.”
“Oh, are you an author? Cool!”
“Yeah...”
“How far have you gotten?”
“Not very far, and I won't get anything done with you talking to me.” I said, trying to hide my impatience.
“Oh, sorry.”
I continued working. Wow, he’s really quiet right now, I thought. I looked up from my computer and saw him flailing his arms around, his face beet red. He appeared to be choking on the bagel he was snacking on.
“Oh goodness gracious!” I said. I got up and ran to where he was. I was prepared to do the Heimlich, but before I could, he slumped over, completely unconscious.
“Oh my god.” I said. I thought back to the CPR class I watched from a tree in the 1990s. I laid him on the floor, and pumped up and down on his chest 5 times. Then I put my mouth to his and breathed the breath of life. I saw him open his eyes. They glowed golden like the sun for a few seconds, then went back to normal.
“Wow, thanks!” He said. “I feel so... alive! And strong too!”
“Good.”
"Well, I'd better hop to. See ya!" He said as he stood up. "The name's Oscar by the way. Kind of like Oscar the Grouch. Except I'm not grouchy. And I don't live in a trash can. Well, my home is pretty messy. Just like my life.”
I snort. Nobody's life has been messier than mine. Oscar, giving up on his plan of befriending me, turned on his phone, popped in some earbuds, and turned on some music. I couldn't help but notice the name of the song on his screen.
“You like The Dimension?” I asked, suddenly intrigued.
"Yeah, do you?" Oscar said, taking out an earbud. We both stand up and head out the door, throwing out our empty cups.
"Yeah!" I smiled. "What's your favorite song?"
"I'd probably have to go with I Know You"
I nodded in approval. We got to a crosswalk and I stopped. Oscar kept walking, right into the path of a car.
“Oscar!” I shouted as the car ran right over him as if he were a human speed bump. I ran out to where he was lying, and knelt down beside him, sure that he was dead.
“Oh, Oscar.” I sighed. Another dead human thanks to pure and utter stupidity.
“What?” Oscar said, sitting up. I screamed at the top of my lungs.
“You... You're alive?” I stammered, my heart beating furiously in my chest.
“Yeah... I mean... I don't feel dead.” Oscar said.
“But you should be dead! You got run over by a freaking car!” I stuttered. Realization finally dawned on me. The breath of life. I gave Oscar the breath of life. I was going to be stuck with Oscar for the rest of eternity. “You need to come with me.” I said bossily, pulling him up. I started speed walking to my house, and Oscar followed like he was supposed to. I opened the door and walked inside. Oscar stood outside the door.
“Come in!” I said urgently. Oscar obeyed. I slammed the door behind me.
“So, why’d you bring me here?” Oscar asked, as he made himself comfortable on my couch. I sat down next to him. I took a deep breath.
“Oscar, I need to tell you something serious." I said slowly. Oscar nodded his head.
“Well, I think I might have accidentally made you immortal.” I said very slowly.
Oscar laughed. When he saw that I wasn't laughing, his face fell. “Wait, you're serious?” Oscar asked incredulously.
“Mmhmm.” I nodded, my voice squeaky and panicked. I told him about my near-death experience, and how I was saved by a mystical being only to figure out that I had lost the ability to age or die. Oscar listened, his face serious. I'd never told anybody this before, not my husbands, not my friends, not my children, not even my parents or sisters.
“That's so cool!” Oscar said, excited. “So, how exactly did I become immortal?”
“Well, when I gave you CPR, I must have transferred my immortality to you.” I said carefully.
“Oh. Does that happen every time you kiss someone?” Oscar asked me.
“No! Of course not! Everyone I've ever kissed is dead now! I think it's because in CPR, you transfer your life energy into someone else! Do you THINK I was given the rule book on immortality? If I was, I would never have saved you of all people!” I snapped.  I glared at Oscar. The dejected look on Oscar's usually lively face made me instantly regret my words.
“Look, Oscar, I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. It's just that this is a tough subject for me. I've just lost so many people that I've loved, and now you're immortal, and I just... I just don't know what to do.” I told him, my voice soft and gentle.
“It's fine.” He said. “I understand.”
“You do?” I highly doubted he understood. But I supposed he would understand eventually.
“Well, I kind of have to understand. After all, I'm immortal now to.” Oscar smiles.
“Yeah.” I smile. An eternity with Oscar. Great.
“Well, I have to go now. I've got a job, and...”
I interrupted him. “Yeah, go.”
“Can we maybe talk sometime about the whole never-gonna-die thing?” Oscar asked me.
“Sure.” I answered. I remembered what it was like to have to learn the rules of immortality on my own. I could help Oscar. “So, I’ll see ya on Saturday?”
“Saturday? That's so far away!” Oscar whined.
“Here's the first rule of being immortal: Waiting.” I smiled. Oscar smiled back.
“Right. Thanks bro!” Oscar yelled as he walked out the door.
“Don't tell anyone!” I yelled back as he shut the door.

        A week later, Oscar knocked on my door.
“Hey, what's up?” Oscar grinned.
“Nothing exciting.” I said. On Tuesday I discovered a new app for my phone called Snapchat, and I was thoroughly engrossed with the filters. I'd been amusing myself on snapchat all week.
“Nothing?”
“I've been alive for 2460 years. Exciting things don't happen every week. Besides, I was alive to see the fall of great empires, the beginning of new ages, technology I never could have imagined, so no, compared to what I've seen, nothing interesting has happened since The Incident.” I said.
"So you did nothing all week?" Oscar asked.
"Well, I did discover a new app called Snapchat, which gives you the ability to take funny pictures of yourself looking like different things! Have you heard of it?"
"Yeah, I'm fairly sure I've heard of Snapchat." Oscar said sarcastically. "Anyway, I've prepared some questions.”
“Go ahead. Ask anything.”
“What's the best part about being immortal?”
I thought for a moment. “I love the adventure of it. Every day, I wake up, and I watch the world change. I meet new people and do new things that change the way I think and the way I see the world. You might think that I'd get bored, but I don't. There's so much to learn and see, and so many people to meet, and so many things to do. I'm glad I'll have time to see and do everything.”
“Wow.” Oscar nodded. “Did you ever fall in love?”
“Yes, many, many times.” I said dreamily.
“Who were your favorites?”
“How can I choose? I loved Heron, my first husband, and...”
Oscar interrupted me. “Heron?”
“Yeah, it was a common name in Greece.” I said defensively. “Anyway, there was also Aldwin, and Terentius, and...”
“Wow, they all have such weird names.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, maybe to you.”
        Oscar and I talked to each other every other Saturday, and when we saw each other in public, we shared a secret smile. Oscar stopped aging just like I had. I started to grow more and more attached to him. About three years later, I saw Oscar at the fateful coffee shop we first met at. We sat down together and had coffee while we talked about trivial mortal things. It was a fun break from the crushing reality of eternal life. After we finished our coffee, I invited Oscar to go on a walk in the park with me. We decided that we would meet at eleven PM at the bench in the park. When eleven came, I was already sitting on the bench waiting for him. He didn't show up until 11:05.
“Sorry.” He said, out of breath. “I just stopped to pick up some donuts.” He held out a bag from Dunkin Donuts and I smiled. I had grown quite fond of donuts. I took a chocolate glazed donut.
“Wow, thanks!” I said, my mouth full of the scrumptious pastry.
“That wasn't very lady like for someone who actually was a Lady.” Oscar jokes.
“Ha, well, I'm not a Lady any more!” I grin.
“So, what do you miss most?” Oscar asks.
“I miss my family. My mother, my father, my sisters, my husbands, my wife, my children, my friends. I miss the adventures I had in the pass. I miss Greece, you know? Even if I went back, it would never be the same as it used to be? I can never go to any of my old homes because they've changed into something new and unrecognizable. Everyone I knew is dead! You have no idea what it's like. Everything familiar to me has turned to dust, and everything I will ever know will eventually turn to dust, and I'll just be here! Alone! Watching everyone and everything die!” I was close to tears.
“Hey.” Oscar said softly, as he pulled me closer to him. “It's okay. You don't have to be alone. As long as I live, you will never have to be alone again.”
“Thanks.” I whispered.
“So, tell me a story.”
“Did I tell you about the time I became Empress of Rome?”
“No, tell me.”
We sat under the stars, two immortals, as I told the tales of the past and changed the course of the future.
        Ten years later, I married Oscar. Maybe it was meant to be. Either way, we were alone in the universe together.
        When I was younger, it was just me, the earth, and the sun living on while everyone else died. I grieved with the earth and the sun over the loss of so many lovers, so many children, my own mother, father, and sisters. Now, everything is different. I have Oscar, another almost human, to live with, to grieve with while everyone we love dies and turns to dust, while the earth changed into something unrecognizable before it itself turned to dust and we travelled out into the stars.