When I Die [Wattys 2016]

Chapter 4: Poison

Four days later, came my first round of poison injections— I mean, chemotherapy. I was unamused and tired. Mom pulled up and parked in the handicap parking... something she could probably get used to. I dragged myself into the office, everything was white and sterile. Two older women, both with satin scarves wrapped around their bald heads were walking out just as I was walking in. They looked exhausted, and yet, somehow still happy. There was a sitting and waiting area with some outdated magazines from four years ago on the tables. There were bottles of hand sanitizer on each end table as well as the counter where the receptionist sat. There were underwater themed paintings on the walls to break up the endless sea of white that covered the entire office. There were bald guests of every age and size sitting in the waiting room with loved ones, even a kid who looked about my age here with his... mother, maybe? 

My own mom walked up to the receptionist and checked me in. She handed me a germ-mask to cover my face and protect others with lowered immune systems. I waited with mom for almost thirty minutes until the receptionist called my name. I dragged myself back and a nice-looking young nurse approached as I sat in one of the chemo-chairs. She said, "Hi there, Leo. My name is Rachel, I'll be hooking you all up today. Do you have any questions before we get started?" I thought about it, I wanted to ask her if this was all a pharmaceutical ploy like Sam, my conspiracy theorist brother thought. "No, I don't think so." I shook my head. 

She smiled again. "Okay, then. I'm going to take your arm here and hook you all up. This will take about five hours. You will want to relax and read or watch TV, not a lot of moving around."

 The time dragged along forever. I counted all the tiles on the wall, watched two episodes of Seinfeld, played solitaire on my phone, and slept. My mom never left my side. I was more bored than I'd ever been before. The time finally was up and Rachel unplugged me. She smiled and said,

"Okay, see you in two weeks, Leo!" She smiled. I groaned.

I felt fine for a few hours afterwards. I went on a walk with Myra and Reid to the thrift store and found old records that had the artist's face on it, and we could hold them in front of our faces to make it look like their faces were our faces. Myra bought a new pair of sandals and Reid found a Yo-Yo. I bought a windbreaker and two candles for my mom. We ate pizza at Milo's Pizzeria and talked about where we were going to school. I felt a twinge of anxiety. I wondered if I'd actually be able to go to college, would I make it? I shook off the thought. May was the next topic on the list. Myra said that May and Danny had gotten into a fight in the middle of the hallway at school. She ran away from him crying after he'd thrown her books down. I didn't want to think of someone hurting May... still, I'm not the one in charge of delving out karma. We ate almost an entire pizza between the three of us. I was almost ravenous. I ate three pieces, which was not typical of me, it was more Reid's thing, and he was surprised at me.

"Woah, dude, thirds?? You're gonna explode. Have you ever eaten three pieces in one sitting before?" He quipped, taking another slice. I know you probably imagine Reid as overweight, since literally every appearance he's made so far involves eating... well, he's not. Reid has an over-active metabolism. He weighs just a few pounds more than me, which isn't much. Myra and I try to remind him often that one day, his metabolism will slow down and he'll regret eating five slices of pizza. He always swats the air in front of him.

"I like to live with no regrets... I'll die fat and happy." He says, sticking more pizza in his mouth.

We walked back to my house after pizza and they both told me goodbye. My mom was in the front garden, tending to some flowers she'd planted. Myra and Reid waves to my mom and she waved back, as they started walking down the street towards their houses. I felt good, I was pretty content. I knew this feeling was probably fleeting. I hugged my mom and headed upstairs to get ready for bed. I worked on a bit of homework and got some writing done. I finished my project for The Awakening and about 11:30, called it a night.

I slept straight through the night, but woke up around six-o'clock the next morning feeling awful. I cringed at the thought of even throwing up once. I knew it would probably be best to get my fear of being sick over now. I was sick, and this is how it was going to be until it was over.

I rolled on my stomach in my bed. Oscar the Dog was asleep beside me, just like every night since we brought him home as a puppy, and the smell of him made me want to gag. He didn't smell bad, in fact, he'd recently been bathed, but I couldn't bare it. I pushed him a bit until he jumped off of my bed and, looking back at me with a curious and somewhat hurt expression, he walked over to his dog bed in the corner of my room and laid down. 

After laying in bed for another hour and doing my best to prevent being sick, I almost begged to be sick to get it over with. Just like magic, right after making my wish, I made a sprint to the bathroom in record speed. Funny... that is the wish I get granted? I was miserably sick until about nine when the rest of my family woke up. My mom found me sitting by the bathtub with my head on my knees, sleeping. She gave me some medicine and put me to bed. I slept all day.