"First date at a cemetery? Yeah, I'm going to pass," I say, glaring at him and shaking my head. "I can't believe you brought me here. I don't mess with ghosts. If you were broke, you should have just said that." I turn my back to him and walk away.

"This isn't like any place you've ever been to." His voice softens into a plea. His hand touches my shoulder. "Give it sixty seconds. If you hate it, we'll leave and go somewhere else."

"Thirty seconds and I choose the burger joint." I stare squarely at him.

"Deal," he says and places his hand out for me to shake. We turn back to Cementerio Puerta del Cielo--Heaven's Door Cemetery. As we walk through the gate, bright lights flood the warm summer night. For the first time, I notice rose gardens lining the entryway. Red and pink flowers against a bright green backdrop of perfectly manicured grass and bushes in the shape of birds, butterflies, and other animals.

Rafael was right. I've never seen a more mesmerizing place. There was a familiarity to the animal-shaped bushes. It dawns on me. I understand why we're here.