The Red Bow [Chaelisa]

48. The Red Bow

November 8, 2056. – New York, NY.

Two nurses smiled amiably as Lisa walked in holding a bunch of red roses in her arms. Angelina, the young nurse, informed her that Chaeyoung was sedated but would wake up soon. Chaeyoung and Lisa had been known at the local hospital since the blonde started with panic attacks from early Alzheimer’s.

It all started about a year ago, when Chaeyoung started to forget small details like where she had put her cell phone, the names of some distant relatives and activities she used to do. At first everyone thought it was just exhaustion from the shows that was affecting her sleep, but then the forgetfulness got worse for the music. Chaeyoung simply forgot the song or stopped playing because she simply couldn’t remember the melody anymore. Lisa decided to see a doctor when a short time later her wife put the phone in the fridge and the glasses in the microwave. After many tests, the neurologist found that Chaeyoung had early Alzheimer’s and that unfortunately the disease had been discovered too late.

When Lisa asked about her lifespan, the doctor was straightforward: five years at most.

Lisa’s world collapsed, as did Chaeyoung’s, who began to have constant attacks of anger and stress. The blonde isolated herself in her room for a week, not eat and ignoring everyone around her, including her children. It was the worst moment of their lives and the lawyer wondered what they had done to be punished like that, so that fate would always find a way to separate them. Chaeyoung needed to be retired for treatments, and she hated everyone who was ripping her music, including Lisa who had been her target of rage for months. Then came depression and with it some problems with sleeping and difficulty with sudden movements.

They had a beautiful home, they worked with what they loved, they had two beautiful children and a perfect life. Enough to be ruined by the illness that affected not only the four family members, but all the couple’s friends.

Lisa took all of Chaeyoung’s insults, physical attacks, and coldness simply knowing that this wasn’t her wife, but the manifesto of a degenerative disease. Lisa left her own pain aside to support Chaeyoung’s, was patient, affectionate and never thought about giving up, not even when, in one of the attacks, the blonde asked her to go on with her life and not waste time with a person who would forget.

In December, Lisa decided to travel to France with Chaeyoung as a Christmas present. Ethan and Sarah agreed to let their mothers have a moment alone for what could be a farewell at any time. Lisa risked everything by taking her wife out of the country, but she couldn’t help fulfilling her dream. The trip was tiring and Chaeyoung had to take her tranquilizers to sleep on the plane, and during all walks Lisa would push her wheelchair so she wouldn’t get tired or make a point of carrying her on her lap in a romantic act through the streets of Paris.

News of Chaeyoung’s retirement and illness made headlines for weeks, as the various profiles and social media accounts were created in support of the pianist and what Lisa was doing. Even under the disgrace of an illness, the love between them was all it took to keep Chaeyoung sane.

And here they are, the treatments don’t yield results and Chaeyoung no longer remembers Jennie, Jisoo and Olivia. Somi, Alice and Jules are the only ones allowed for the visit and the other three show up when she is asleep.

"Is she all right?“ Asked the Thai exchanging the flowers in the vase that was on the table beside Chaeyoung’s bed.

Ethan, who had been sitting in an armchair by the window, got up and walked with his hands into the pockets of the linen pants he was wearing.

"They gave a stronger sedative this time.“ He gave a kiss on his mother's face and returned to face Chaeyoung in a deep sleep. “She asked about grandma before she blacked out."