4 February
2014
Hope
Annie
was in her doctor's office waiting for the news. The initial biopsy
of her mole was not a good one. The doctor told her she had skin
cancer. The cancer was very deep. She lost her thoughts at the word
cancer. It was like the word carried wind into her ears and she was
in a sound proof tunnel. Today she would find out if all the work and
treatments her doctor had done had been worth it.
Cancer.
It is such harsh word. Annie couldn't help but feel a gaping hole in
her heart when her doctor told her his diagnosis. A pit filled her
stomach and she was now faced with her own possible mortality. How
would she tell her parents? Her friends? Her co-workers? How would
she deal with the pity.
She
went home and sat on her couch after her diagnosis. Disparity and
fear had quickly turned to anger and rage. Why? She always put on
sunblock and wore hats outside. She ate well. She took care of
herself so why had God given her cancer. How could he do this to her?
What had she ever done that warranted such cruel treatment from the
world, from God.
She
learned over time that this was not her fault. It wasn't God's fault.
He did not give her cancer to punish her, she had to be strong. She
was strong. Her family and friends had always told her what a strong
person she was and she knew she had to carry this struggle. She was a
warrior and she had to fight this so other people facing this trauma
could be brave.
Annie
and her doctor went deep into battle to rid her young frail body of
skin cancer. They went to battle with every weapon they had and kept
hope in their hearts for a victory. Today would be the day she would
learn her possible fate. Would she live or would she die. Ultimately,
she would never be free, fear of getting cancer again would always
sit in the back of her mind. If she was free today though she would
caution others and keep herself in check to stay ahead of the villain
she now faced.
“Annie?”
called the nurse, “Hi honey. How are you today”
“Nervous,”
she admitted with a slight chuckle. She always kept a brave face in
the doctor's office.
“It's
okay to be nervous. It means you are human,” the nurse winked at
her, gave her a pat on the shoulder and walked Annie into the cold,
white room to hear her results.
“Hi
Annie! It is good to see you. Please take a seat,” her doctor had
her chart in hand. Her heart was beating so hard she could swear the
doctor was able to hear it. The room was freezing but her forehead
was damp and her palms were sweaty. “The good news is that your
cancer is gone Annie. It has not spread and we were able to get
everything out from, what looks like, the entirety of your body. We
were lucky. The cancer had not anchored too deep and had not gotten
into your lymph nodes. Now we will have to keep doing regular check
ups but for now you are okay.”
It's
gone. The wind in her ears was back but rather than feeling like a
punch in the gut it was more of a weight lifting from her shoulders.
Happy tears came to her eyes and she quietly thanked God. She was
going to be okay and now she had a new, more positive outlook on
life. She promised that if she made it through this she would live
life fully everyday and now she had that chance. Cancer was the beast
that lie slain at her victorious feet on this day and she would no
longer fear it.
5 February
2014
Patricia's
Revenge
For months
Patricia had been teaching Emma about style in the '60s particularly
her style. Emma was a great student and they were having so much fun
getting to know each other better. Emma cut her hair short into a
Jackie Kennedy bob and told her mom she loved the fashion icon so
much she wanted to look like her. She went to vintage stores and
Goodwill looking for just the right pieces of clothing to make it
believable. Everything was set to go.
“Okay
Patty, so my parents are gone for the weekend. I will wait until it
is the middle of the night and head out. How do I look?” asked Emma
once she had put her first outfit together.
“Wow,”
Patricia was stunned. Emma looked almost identical to her, “You
look perfect Emma! This may work faster than we think. I know he
hasn't stopped thinking about me. He watches this window all the
time.”
With her
blue tapered pants, moss green top with a Peter Pan collar and moss
green flats, Emma was ready. She walked out her back door in the dark
of night so no one would see her. She grabbed a small pebble and
threw it at the window of Charlie's house. His wife just happened to
be out of town visiting their children. She stood outside his window
and with a grim look on her face she stared at Charlie.
They locked
eyes and Emma knew Charlie thought she was Patricia. His face went
ghostly white and he froze. For minutes they stared at each other
until suddenly Charlie mouthed Patty to Emma. It was working
and Emma was using every muscle in her body to not jump for joy and
smile.
“Tell them
what you did! Tell them what you did to me,” she said in a tone
just below a yell and with that she walked away. She had to go tell
Patty what happened.
“I can't
believe it worked!” exclaimed Patricia. She has wanted to hug Emma
so many times in their friendship but never as much as she wanted to
now. All the anger and fear and rage from her murder was turning into
glee and relief. She wanted to cry but couldn't so instead she
pranced around the room tossing socks and clothes up in the air.
“Okay so
in a couple of hours I am going to slip notes under his door and
write on his windows in red window paint. Everything will say for him
to tell them what he did to you then tomorrow night I will go back
and do it all again,” Emma explained to Patty with just as much
thrill that Patty had.
The next
morning they watched as Charlie, puffy faced and purple bags under
his eyes, cleaned his windows and threw away all the notes Emma left
him. They could see him talking to himself and mumbling under his
breath. He kept grabbing at his hair. He finally went inside and
stayed there with all of his blinds shut for the entirety of the day.
The girls
sat on Emma's bed and smiled, not saying a word just smiling. They
couldn't believe their plan had actually affected that sociopath as
much as it had.
“I wonder
what will happen when or if he actually turns himself in,” pondered
Emma.
“We may be
able to read it online or watch it on the news I suppose but I guess
we won't really get an upfront show. I just hope my family can find
some peace. My brother at least. My parents died a while ago,”
Patricia felt a tinge of sadness but she knew that wherever her
parents were that they knew the truth of what happened to their
little girl.
Emma slept
and Patricia watched her. She knew their triumph in this whole ordeal
would be the greatest accomplishment. She didn't know what would be
next for her forever existence but at least for now she could hope
for some closure.
After a long
nap and a putting her outfit together again, Emma was ready to go
after Charlie again. She slipped out the back door but this time she
was more prepared. She took her notes and window paint and set all of
that up before throwing a rock at his window. It happened the same
way, they stared and she yelled for him to tell what he did. This
time was different. This time he left the window in a rush.
Emma tore
off for home. She wasn't sure what he would do. She slammed her front
door and was began to change into more modern clothes as she started
to explain what happened when they heard pounding on her door.
“PATTY!
PATTY! Please! I am sorry! Please!” Charlie was screaming at the
top of his lungs. Emma and Patricia were terrified. Emma grabbed her
phone and called the police.
“There is
a crazy man outside my door screaming about killing Patty. Please
hurry!” she told the 911 operator.
The police
showed up and took Charlie into custody, the whole way to the police
vehicle he confessed his crime.
“He says
he killed a girl who lived here in the 60's. I think he is high or
drunk. I am sorry miss for this disturbance, can we please get your
statement,” said the officer to a very scared but relieved Emma.
Later Emma
and Patricia learned that Charlie had fully confessed to what he did.
There wasn't a trial, he plead guilty to first degree murder and was
sentenced to life in prison. Patricia got to see her brother on the
news, he was getting old but he looked good. It was over. It was
finally over and Patricia could find peace.
“Now what
Patty? Are you going to leave me now?” asked Emma with a tear in
her eye.
“No Emma,”
Patricia wanted more than anything to be human. She game Emma a sad
smile, “I'm not leaving until you want me to or you leave me. For
now I am here. I am your friend. When you grow up and leave I will be
able to visit you every once in a while but not for long. Thank you
Emma. You have made so much right in this world”
“You're
welcome Patty, that is what friends do,” the girls sat in joyous
silence and thought about their recent adventure. They both grew in
more ways than they could ever know over the course of their time
together.
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