A CAST OF PAIN (Closed For Editing)

Chapter Thirty Six

"... I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life and he will give you many years in the land..."

The echo of her voice reciting the Bible verse gradually faded, and she opened her eyes to the dimly lit room.

*****

The tension persisted among them, a surprise that they were all eating together at the same table after recent events. Silence dominated until breakfast concluded, and someone sighed in relief.

"Thank you for breakfast," David appreciated. But, no one spoke, avoiding eye contact. The clanging of spoons against plates echoed until Paul decided to break the ice.

"You're welcome, David."

"Thanks," David muttered, excusing himself with barely heard footsteps.

Breakfast concluded swiftly, evident that some wanted to escape the tense atmosphere. After muttering their 'thank yous,' they dispersed, clearing the table and chairs.

*****

"Oh, you're here," Lawrence stated, slamming the door behind him.

"What?"

"No, it's nothing. I just thought you'd be around the house socializing or something," Lawrence explained as he took his seat on the bed. "It's kind of the way extroverts ease stress."

"Yeah," Larry sighed. "I need to distract myself from all this tension. I left the table thinking I would leave it there but ended up carrying it with me here. I just can't shake it off."

"Neither can I. It happened right before our eyes, didn't it?" Lawrence replied.

"Hmm," was all Larry could say. Silence reigned between them, with only the noise of Lawrence taking off his shoes.

"Shouldn't you be with Kore or something?"

"Right now?"

"Hmm mm?"

"Do you think she would want to see anyone at this time?" Larry shrugged. "Isn't she supposed to be your best friend? I thought you guys were..." He stopped, using his fingers to demonstrate. "...this close."

"Whoa! Whoa! Larry, please. We are still getting to know each other. We are not that close, not yet."

"But you should be there for her. That's what friends do."

"You're right. I want to, badly too, but, at this time, she needs some space. And I will give her space."

"Okay, that was just my opinion anyways."

"And I thank you for airing it, but no."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever!"

*****

Meanwhile, Mr. and Mrs. Williams were upstairs chatting away over a cup of cold juice and cake. His face was less tense now, and so was his whole being. But a gentle knock interrupted their discussion.

Wondering who it is, Mrs. Williams turned to look at her husband, who gave her a wave of his hand. This was their private time, and no one was allowed to disturb them no matter who it was.

"Please come back later."

"Mum, Dad, It's me."

And that alone was enough to make them open the door.

"Ewa, you're awake," Mrs. Williams began. "Sit down, please."

Jojo took her seat quietly and waited for her mother to settle down.

"Jojolewa," Mr. Williams called, staring directly at her. "How are you doing, dear?"

"Fine Dad," Jojo calmly replied.

"Sure?"

"Yes Dad, I'm sure, at least for now," she shrugged.

The silence that descended thereafter lasted only for a few seconds before Mr. Williams spoke up, calmly this time around.

"Why didn't you tell us when the tumor came back?"

"Honestly Dad, Mum, I just thought of how worried you would be if I told you it returned." She stopped.

"And?" He probed further.

"And how much money you would have to spend if I told you. And then the thought of me going in and out of hospitals and God knows how much I hate hospitals.

"Why didn't you go see a doctor then?"

"I did."

"And?"

"It was the usual."

"And what's the usual?"

"That my brain tumor was incurable."

After that, she watched her parents' reactions. Her mother only sighed while her father had his head bent.

"But, you could have at least told us."

"I'm sorry Mum and Dad." Was all she could say. "And I know you must have blamed Kore but she wasn't at fault. She wanted to tell you and even threatened to when she saw the signs get worse but I dissuaded her." Her parents said nothing, so she took that as a note to continue.

"And we decided to trust God, and even if the signs get worse, we still want to trust God. And Mum and Dad," she paused then continued, "I want you to trust God with me.

At this, Mr. and Mrs. Williams looked up, albeit slowly.

"So will you trust God with me?"

****

".....It was stupid of me to keep the secret from them, selfish of me to pull you into a situation that allowed them to put blame on you, and stupid of me to give up." She took a deep breath and exhaled before continuing. "But, He has given me options Kore, life and death. And, I choose life. I choose to fight this, to trust in Him against all odds, against all the signs and symptoms that show that My health is deteriorating, and I choose to trust Him.

"So...."Kore croaked, using the back of her hand to wipe the tears that never seemed to stop flowing. "Does that mean..." she separately her entwined hands and put her hand into her pocket and pulled out a neat piece of paper, "that this doesn't matter anymore?"

"Oh, you found it," she said with a look of pain in her eyes, but, Kore said nothing.

She began to pull the piece of paper out of Kore's grip. "This never mattered in the first place. So, let's start again. With renewed faith and trust in God, no matter what we face. No matter the signs and symptoms I feel, no matter what you see. Okay?"

Kore's arms were folded against her chest.

"Okay?" Jojo reiterated.

"Okay?" Kore nodded, and they began to cry afresh before they hugged.