Forever: Chapter 5

It was at Abigail's birthday party, at the end of April, when Valerie felt strong abdominal pain for the first time. Then, she thought, it can't be something serious. Something she ate, or the too many cocktails she drank at her friend's party, probably caused the pain. But four days later, she felt the same pain again. She delayed a visit to the doctor for as long as she could. Valerie hated hospitals, and she hated going to a doctor. But, when the abdominal pain became frequent and sharp, she had no choice but to go to her doctor, who advised her to see a gynecologist.

For eight years, since her mother took her to a gynecologist for the first time, Valerie had known Dr. Kwan. Dr. Kwan was always nice to her patients, and she was always smiling, but after Valerie explained the symptoms, suddenly she became serious. After she examined her carefully, Dr. Kwan requested more tests. She said, "We want to be sure", but when Valerie asked, "Sure for what", Dr. Kwan didn't give her a precise answer.

While she was waiting for the results at the hospital, Valerie was going through real agony. She was staring at the clock on the wall, but the clock was ticking so slowly, as the time stopped. She wished that she wasn't alone, and she desperately needed at that moment to have someone with her to hold her hand.

An hour later, Dr. Kwan returned to her office with the results, and by the expression on her face, Valerie knew that something was wrong.

"Valerie, I know you for a long time, and there is no easy way to say this to a young woman like you, but... I'm afraid you have endometrial cancer, which is also called uterus cancer," Dr. Kwan said with compassion.

"What?" Valerie said quietly, and the despair was visible on her face.

"I know that this is an enormous shock for you. I'm also surprised because this type of cancer affects women over fifty. We don't want to lose any time, so I made you an appointment with Dr. Smith for tomorrow. He is the best gynecologist oncologist in our hospital. He will complete the whole medical team you'll need, and you will discuss with him the future steps, but usually the first step is surgery, for removing the tumor and some surrounding healthy tissue..."

Dr. Kwan continued to talk in detail about the cancer, the surgery, the radiation, the chemotherapy, but in vain. Valerie stopped to listen at the moment she heard the word cancer. At that moment, her whole world crashed down. All her dreams and her plans for the future vanished. She was always full of life, and it never crossed her mind that she might die this young.

She wasn't afraid of death, only she didn't want to die. Valerie always considered herself a very lucky person because she was born into a family like hers and she was always surrounded by love. She was utterly grateful to have found a love like Timothy, with whom she experienced something that most people only dream about. She didn't want to die because she didn't want to lose all the love she had in her life, and when Valerie heard the word cancer from her doctor, the only fear she felt was how will Timothy and her family find a strength to continue with their lives if she dies.

When Valerie felt the pain for a second time, like everyone else today, she searched on the internet about the reasons that might cause pelvic pain, and one of the options was cancer. That is the reason she delayed the visit to a doctor for as long as she could. Valerie was afraid to face the truth, and she was afraid that she inherited her grandmother's genes, who died of uterus cancer at sixty-three. Valerie was only five when her grandmother died, and she doesn't remember her clearly. She only knows her from the pictures and her mother's stories.

"Do you want me to call someone, to come for you to the hospital?" Dr. Kwan asked Valerie.

"No. Can I have a glass of water?" Valerie asked.

Valerie was feeling thirsty, like never before in her life. Her mouth and throat were dry, and she had a feeling that she could drink the entire ocean.

"Yes, of course," Dr. Kwan said and she got up from her chair, and she went to bring a glass of water to Valerie.

Without having an idea about where to go, and how to tell her family about the disease, Valerie left the doctor's office. She was trembling, and she couldn't walk. Valerie had to sit down for a while in the hospital's corridor, to put herself together, and to decide what to do next. Valerie began to cry when she saw a young mother with a little child. The little child reminded her that she always wanted to have children with Timothy, only now she was sure that even if she beats the cancer, she'll never be a mother. But if she had listened to her doctor carefully, she would have heard when Dr. Kwan told her that having a child after uterus cancer was possible in some cases.

Sometimes we all forget how fragile we are and how our lives can stop in only one second, at any second. Sometimes, there is no tomorrow, and all we have is today. Nobody knows when or how our life will end unless we decide to end it at a certain moment. How could Valerie know that she'd get sick, and that her disease would change all her plans for the future? The cancer wasn't on her agenda.

On the other side of the city, Timothy couldn't imagine the agony Valerie was going through at the hospital. If he knew, he would be with her. Timothy would find a way to encourage her; he would promise her that he will always be by her side, and they will beat the disease together.

At that moment, Timothy was carelessly returning to work from a lunch break. He crossed the street, and he stopped in front of a jewelry shop. In the window shop, Timothy saw the most beautiful ring he had ever seen in his life. He didn't know much about the engagement rings, but he was sure that this was the one he wanted to see on Valerie's hand. Without too much thinking, Timothy went into the jewelry shop, intending to buy that ring.

With Valerie, they have discussed the marriage before, and they both were on the same page. Why rush with the marriage when a piece of paper won't change anything in their lives. They were living together; they were happy, and they were so in love. Of course, one day, they would love to get married, but not yet.

"Hello!" Timothy said excited.

"Hello! How may I help you, sir?" the saleswoman asked him politely.

"Can I see that beautiful engagement ring, please?"

"Yes! Absolutely! This one?"

"Yes, that one. How much does it cost?"

"7800 dollars."

"Wow! It's too much for me, I'm afraid, I can't afford to buy a ring over 6000 dollars," Timothy said with disappointment.

"Sir, for that amount of money, we have really beautiful rings. Would you like to see them?"

"No, I want that ring."

Nothing was too expensive for Valerie. If that ring cost a million dollars, and if Timothy had that much money, he would spend it to the last penny on that ring. From the day he received his first salary, he was saving money on a secret account Valerie didn't know about, to buy an engagement ring for her and to pay for the wedding of her dreams. Only, the problem was that Timothy didn't have 7800 dollars on his secret account. He had less than 6000 because he couldn't save more.

Quickly, he began to think about where he could find 2000 dollars. He couldn't take money from the bank account he had together with Valerie, because he didn't know how he would explain it to her when she'll ask him why he needed the money. But if he goes to his mother and asks her for a loan, she will give him the money, without even asking why he needs the money.

"Miss, can I please ask you for a huge favor? I promise I'll be back in one hour, and I'll buy that ring. Just please don't sell it to anybody else in the meantime! Please! If I don't come back in one hour, you may sell it. Okay?"

"Sir, I'm not sure that my boss will like the idea, but I'll give you one hour. Not a minute more."

"Thank you so much!"

Because he didn't have any time to lose, Timothy left the jewelry shop running. First, he went to the bank, and when he got there, he couldn't believe. In the line in front of him, there were over fifteen clients. Why did everyone else decide to go to the bank on the same day as him? But, after thirty long minutes of waiting, he took all the money from his secret bank account, and he continued to run with all his straight to his parents' house. Ellen got scared when she saw her son on the doorstep. Timothy was flushed from the running and the scorching sun, and he was trying to catch his breath.

"Mum... Please, will you borrow me 2000 dollars... "

"Tim, what's wrong?"

"Nothing... I just saw a beautiful ring... for Valerie, and I must buy it... If I don't go back to the shop for one hour, they will sell it to somebody else."

Without needing any further explanation, his mother left him to stand in front of the entrance door. Ellen perfectly understood what he was trying to say. She went into the house, and a few moments later, she was back with the money Timothy needed.

"Thanks, mum! I love you! You're the best mum in the world! Please don't tell anyone about this, okay? Please, I'm begging you! I'll give you back the money as soon as I can!"

Timothy didn't have time properly to say goodbye to his mother. He had to run as fast as he could, to get on time, because someone else could buy the ring he chose. Timothy broke the promise he gave to the saleswoman. He returned to the jewelry shop after one hour and twenty-seven minutes, but the ring was still there.