~An Imperial Affliction~

The Dutch Tulip Man

May 18th, 2011~

One afternoon, my mother had noticed that all of her gardening tools were broken. All of her shovels had rust covering them, and all of her watering cans had deep dents from overusing them. She looked at them in disgust, then announced that we were going shopping. I groaned. "Oh, come on. It'll only be a few minutes, Anna!" My mother said. "When you say it'll be a few minutes, you really mean it'll be a few hours." I mumbled. "I heard that young lady!" My mom sung. "Besides, it will be too for you to get some fresh air." I sighed and walked like a zombie all the way up to my bedroom.

As my mom put on her makeup, I changed into my everyday, normal wear, which was simply a t-shirt, covered by a light blue, jean jacket, and lastly, to complete my outfit, I put on my favorite pair of capri pants. I then slipped on a black pair of flats, and was ready to leave.

The good thing about having no hair is that I don't able to worry about brushing it or washing it. I despised combing my hair; it was so much work! As much as I missed my hair, I felt more comfortable with a bald head. In the first week of being diagnosed, the doctors' gave me at least three days worth of chemotherapy to make my lushes hair thin out. My hair was long and wavy, and the brown locks would flow in the wind as I walked.

I awoke from my day dream when my mother shouted, "Time to go, Anna!" I hurried down the stairs (though, "hurried" isn't the best term to describe how I walk. I basically go slower than an elder who lost a leg when he was in the Vietnam war.) to be welcomed by my mother's kind smile. She tapped her foot, trying to rush time, then she simultaneously stopped when she saw my chest shaking inwards and out. My mother pleaded, "Forgive me, Anna, but if you dilly dallied for a few minutes longer, we would not be able to beat rush hour, so we would have to reschedule this errand for another day."

Mother planned to travel downtown, towards a new garden shop named, "Like A Moss." The owner must be extremely childish to name his store that. Although, I admire his sense of humor.

I opened the front door, letting my mother stroll outside first, then I. The navy blue colored car beeped when mother pressed a button to open the vehicle. "I'll drive, mom, all right?" I did not hear her responds, so I turned to see my mother with puppy dog eyes and shook her head. "No, Anna. Please, I will drive." She pushed me aside and sat in the drivers seat. I stomped my way to the right side of the car and slumped in my seat. "Is it because you believe I am too sick to function? I may be dying but please do not be ignorant." I said quite calmly. Thinking that mother would yell back at me, I patiently waited for her to respond harshly. Oddly, it never came. She simply drove out of the drive way, heading into the main road.

We sat in silence. The only sound was the noise of the black tiers rolling across the bumpy road. There were several cars due to it being the time for lunch. All were shades of dull grays, blues, and whites.

(Sorry, for some reason this chapter deleted, so I am re-writing it. I hope you do not mind.)