Handstands Down The Hallway

Chapter 4, Gloom, Doom and Pancakes.

I walked home, hoping to see the Hofflyn's car in their driveway, I didn't see it. But that was because they were driving up from behind me. I got out of their way and said hi when she got out of the car. She looked fine to me, no casts or bandages, no limps or slurs. What was wrong?

"Greemaw called me, come." Was all Kreea said, and I did. I followed her into her backyard, which was fenced in the front but not the back. Like all the other houses their backyard opened up into a field that each person owned a bit of. Kreea's family owned the only hill, which we were now sitting on. If I were to lay back now, I'd see the stars and the moon and all that.

"My understanding is Greemaw Heather let it slip I was at the hospital," She began. "So I am going to tell you why." I nodded to show I was listening.

"A little while back I was diagnosed with Acute Leukemia, and after a lot of thinking I had decided to refuse treatment. I still on occasion go to my old hospital to see how things are going and to see if how much time I have left is getting smaller."

I felt tears close to my eyes, and I don't cry. I felt bad for her, and mad at her, sad for her family and mad at them too. How could she decide that? How could they let her? "How long?" was all I could get out.

"So far I have until spring, at best." She replied, tears dripping down her cheeks.

"Does it hurt?" I asked.

"Sometimes. Headaches, swollen lymph nodes, tight throat, vomiting. It isn't so bad most days. But I think it's supposed to get worse as time goes on. I'll lose weight, some days just my general motor skills will be out of the question." She replied, sometimes countingoff her fingers, other times pointing to applicable body part.

"Why'd you pick to wait it out?" 

She explained she was afraid of treatment, what she'd become after and all the things thatcould go wrong, "I might not survive even if I took the treatment." She said, we were both lying back in the grass now. 

I realised now why all the shopkeepers gave her free stuff, why everyone was so nice, they felt sympathetic. And why Frank told me if I liked her, that I should tell her.

"Thank you." She said after we'd been lying in silence for awhile.

"For what?" I asked, propping myself up on one elbow so I could see her.

"For not judging my  final decision, not being outwardly mad at me. For understanding, I guess."

I nodded, it made sense. We stayed that way for another hour before an adult came for us, it was nearly eleven by that point. My guess was the knew this was to important for weird curfews.

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The next day I woke up at 6:30, hoping to be up before Kreea. I sent her text, that way I wouldn't wake anyone else up. Almost immediatly my phone beeped.

"Wow you're up before my brother, amazing!" Is what the text said. That meant everyone over at her house was awake already! I got dressed and went over an knocked at her door.

"Oh hi John!" Said Sylvia when she opened the door, "We're just making some pancakes, want some?"

I tried to say no but she insisted, plus it smelled so good in there! I walked in to see Kreea and Mark each working a pan, she flipped hers then him.

"Ha! Mine went higher!" He said.

Over at the table was Eliza, she had been cutting bananas but she had dropped the knife and was running at me. Ya know, just our usual greeting.

"Johnny!" Eliza was the only one who called me that. everyone else called me  John, apparently my name was too long for everyone but Kreea. Some of the guys called me "Johnny-boy" to mock my old nickname after my mom and dad had finally stopped. I was holding Eliza on my hip when Kreea finally noticed I was here.

"Good morning, Johnathan. How're you?" She asked.

"Good, you?"

"Today I have a bit of headache but otherwise I'm fine." She said.

My eyes widened, what if she dies now!

"But I'm fine." She reminded me, what is she a mind reader? "Want some pancakes?" She asked returning to her pan.

"Sure."

"Alrighty, we have Banana, chocolate chip or strawberry. Which one do ya wanna have?" Asked Eliza, who was now in her chair again.

"Why so many varieties?" I laughed, that was such a Kreea thing to do.

"Well, dad and me only like chocolate chip, but mama doesn't and she's allergic to strawberries. But we're out of blue berries and Kreea insists she have one of each three flavours, so really if you do the puzzle it all works out." Said Eliza, not even glancing away from her chopping. I nodded, trying to figure out her deduction in my head. But her family was looking at Eliza with a mix of pride and confusion.

"That was a whole bunches of words." She said, back to her normal whisper.

We all laughed. Dread aside, this may just turn out to be the best summer.