Cancer Perks || Luke Hemmings

one

Summer 2013
Age 16

The bright sun poured through the thin material of the window curtains and lit up my small bedroom with a blinding light. I drowsily sat up and rubbed my eyes, peering across the room to the clock that hung on the wall. The large face on the clock showed me that the time was 7:47. Otherwise known as way too early. I crashed my head back onto the soft fabric of my pillow desperately trying to return to the dream I had just awoken from.

Today was a big day that I was not prepared for. I had yet another doctors appointment, the 5th in the past 2 weeks. It all started when the doctors said they had found something strange while doing a routine check up. I had to have my blood drawn, a CAT scan and an ultrasound so the doctors could hopefully identity the strange mass in my kidney. The past two weeks have been the most stressful weeks if my life, and today was the day I found out all the answers.

I climbed out of the covers of my bed and slipped on my slippers. My feet made quiet padding noises as I made my way over to my closet to search for an outfit to wear. As I opened the closet door I let out a big yawn and reached my arms high above my head in an attempt to stretch my tired back. My head was pounding and I was extremely thirsty as I searched through my closet. I decided upon a pair of black cut off leggings and a large navy blue sweatshirt.

I continued on to the bathroom where I proceeded to throw my hair up into a rather messy bun since I couldn't be bothered to make myself look somewhat decent. I grabbed my makeup bag and unzipped it, pouring all the contents out onto the marble countertop. I put on my foundation and concealer, doing a bit of natural looking contouring. I did my eye makeup with a light tan color and a darker brown color in the crease. I did my eyeliner into a cat-like fashion and curled my lashes before adding a thick layer of mascara. Lastly I filled in my brows and shaped them into the true masterpieces they were, and finished off the look with a light peachy-pink colored lipstick. I smiled at my reflection before heading into the kitchen to grab a drink of water to quench my thirst.

I filled a large glass with ice water, chugging it down before setting the cup on the table and sighing. Some how, even though I had just drank a large glass of ice cold water I was still extremely thirsty. I filled the glass up again, downing the cup of its liquids before realizing the thirst was still there. After my third glass I gave up and grabbed a cherry yoghurt from the fridge and ate it with a spoon as I waited for my mom to come downstairs. I finished my breakfast just as my mother came down the stairs with a bright smile on her face as always.

That was one of the many things I loved about my mother, was the fact that she was always positive and almost never frowned. She was extremely supportive and made sure I had everything I needed to be happy even if we didn't have loads of money. Now I'm not saying that my family is poor, it's just that we don't have very much extra spending money. We had to make sure we had food, water, shelter, plumbing, and clothes before we could buy any Starbucks or anything else that normal teenagers bought.

My mother worked a job at an old record shop that sold new releases as well as old favorites. I often visited her at work and listened to the music that they sold. I tried to listen to all of the varieties of music, but I noticed that I often fell towards the more punkish vibes. I was more into bands like Weezer, Green Day, and The Raquetteurs. My father on the other hand worked as a child psychologist and was rarely home.

I was an only child and didn't have many friends. It wasn't because I was bullied or left out, it was more the fact that I preferred to be left on my own. I would spend hours a day sitting alone in my room reading, writing, drawing, or listening to music. At first my parents had been worried about me, saying I was anti-social. But after these strange appointments, they've begun to let things like that slip.