Forever: Chapter 6

The whole afternoon, since she left the hospital, Valerie had been walking around the town. She didn't go to work. She needed time to clear her thoughts. When she returned home, Timothy was still at work. Hurry, before he comes back, she packed the things she needed most; she took a taxi, and she went to her parents' home.

Valerie had a spare key to her parents' house, and she let herself in. She didn't want her father to find out that she was in the house, because she wasn't ready yet to tell him the truth. Quietly, Valerie went upstairs, passed by his office, got into her old room, and turned off the phone, which hadn't stopped ringing the whole day.

For hours, Valerie was lying in her bed and thinking about the new situation she found herself in. The first person who noticed that someone was in Valerie's old room was Tessa after she returned from college. She knocked on the door, but no one answered. She knocked again, and she opened the door, but when she walked in, she found her sister lying on the bed. It was getting dark, and Tessa couldn't see the tears on Valerie's face.

"Jesus, Val! What are you doing in the dark? Can I come in?"

Tessa didn't get an answer. She walked in, and she turned on the light. She got scared when she saw the suitcases on the floor, and Valerie's red face, from crying all day.

"Val, are you okay? What's the matter? What are these suitcases doing here? Did you break up with Tim?"

"No, Tess... Today I was diagnosed with cancer."

Tessa wasn't sure that she understood her sister's words. She got paralyzed, and she didn't know what to say or what to do. Valerie was probably telling the truth because she would never make a joke about such a serious matter. After a few minutes, Tessa ran to her sister, and she held her.

"But you're gonna be all right? Promise me that you'll be all right?" Tessa asked, with tears in her eyes.

"I wish I could, but I can't, Tess. Where are mum and dad? I need to talk to them."

Natasha and Philip were watching some funny show on television in the living room. But when Valerie and Tessa came downstairs, they stopped laughing.

"Girls, don't you think that you are too old for fights?" Philip asked when he saw the tears on their faces.

"Mum, dad, I must tell you something very important," Valerie said and she took the TV remote, and she turned off the television.

"What is it?" Philip asked seriously, and Tessa began to cry louder.

"There is no easy way to tell you this, so I'll tell you straight. Please, I need you to stay calm. I'm gonna need your support now more than ever because today I was at a doctor, and I have uterus cancer."

No parent in the world can stay calm when these horrible words come from their child. Natasha's heart began to beat fast, and the only thing that crossed her mind was that her mother died of the same type of cancer. She thought she'd pass out at any moment, and Philip went all white. They looked at each other and they embraced Valerie.

"You're going to be a fine sweetheart. We're all going to be fine. We just need to stay strong," Natasha said, trying to be brave.

"The doctor said, if I start with the treatment immediately, I'll have bigger chance to beat the cancer…"

"Yes, of course, sweetheart..." Natasha said.

"I've been thinking all day, what will be best for all of us, and I've decided to go to London for a treatment."

This was another big shock for the entire family in one evening. Nobody could understand why Valerie said that she'd go to London for treatment, and did she really mean it?

"Sweetheart, you are confused! We all are, but what do you mean you'll go to London?" Natasha asked.

"I mean, we are not rich people, we are a middle-class family, and cancer treatment is very expensive. Five years ago, I left this household, but I'm still your daughter, and I know that you'll offer me your help because I can't afford to pay for the treatment myself, and I am sure that my health insurance won't cover all the expenses. And I know it won't be easy for you too. A lot of families are losing their homes and everything they have, if someone in the family gets seriously sick. I don't want you to lose your home because of me. In London, I'll have everything I'll have here, only for free. We are so lucky because we have dual citizenship, and the health system in the UK is for free…"

"Yes Valerie, you are our daughter, and you'll always be, living with us or not. For you, we are ready to lose everything we have, just for you to get well soon. I don't want to talk about the finances and the bloody house at this moment..." Philip said.

"But we must talk. You have one more daughter to think about, too. She is still living under your roof and you can't send her on the street. I know that you have a mortgage on the house to pay for college tuition for Tessa..."

"I'll quit college, and I'll find a job," Tessa said quickly.

"No, you won't! Tessa, you need an education. What future will you have without a college diploma?"

"I need my sister more, and what use do you have from your college diploma? You're selling clothes for old ladies. You didn't need to go to college for that."

"Please don't try to make me change my mind, because I have decided. In two days, I'm going to London."

"If you'll go to London, we are coming with you. We won't let you be alone there."

"No Tess, we are from London, but our whole lives are here. Your friends, your college, mum's job, everything we have is here, in Santa Monica. I'll go alone to London, and I hope you all will be coming to visit me often. Tess, the summer is coming, and you can spend the whole summer in London with me if you want. Mum and dad will be coming every time they can. Plane tickets are much cheaper than cancer treatment in America. Plus, I won't be alone. The grandparents are there, our aunts, uncles, and I don't need to mention the numberless cousins we have."

"This is not the right time for this conversation, Val. I can't believe we are discussing this right now. We need to focus on you, and you need to get better soon," Philip said.

"That is exactly what we are doing, dad!"

"Sweetheart, please take a rest and think about everything again. You can't go to London and be without us. You will need someone to take care of you, you will need us all the time, and you will need our support and love. We want, and we must be with you," Natasha said.

"A lot of people have no one in the world, and they are surviving the disease alone."

"But you are not alone! You have us, you have your friends, and you have Tim. This is not just your battle, but this is our battle, too. You don't know how difficult and exhausting the treatment will be. I've been through all of this and before when my mother was ill. You will need us, and you will need all your friends beside you. Trust me, if Tim promised you that he will be there for you all the time, he won't be enough," Natasha said.

"Timmy doesn't know about my disease, and I want it to stay that way."

There was no end to the surprises for Valerie's family this evening. First cancer, then her silly decision to go alone to London, and now, she doesn't want Timothy to find out that she is sick.

"What do you mean he doesn't know?" Natasha asked, confused.

"I mean exactly what I said. Timmy doesn't know, and I don't want him ever to find out that I'm ill. Nobody but you know, and I don't want someone else to find out. Please, I'm begging you, don't tell a person that I have cancer."

"Val, you will need Tim most in these difficult times. He loves you, and he would love to be with you all the time," Natasha told her.

"That's the problem. He loves me, and I love him. If I die..."

"You won't die! Don't you dare use that word again!" Tessa said without letting Valerie finish the sentence.

"I know that sounds horrible, but we must face the facts. Grandma died of the same type of cancer I have..."

"That was twenty years ago. Do you have any idea how much medicine has advanced in the past years? There are new medications, new treatments, and everybody doesn't react the same to the treatment. Val, please stop being negative at the beginning..." Natasha said.

"Please let me finish my sentence. If I die, he'll never recover, he'll never find another girl, and he'll spend his life alone. All I want for him is to be happy. I don't want him to see me ill, and I want Timmy always to remember me, as he knows me. I don't want him to suffer..."

"Yes, we should have guessed that your crazy idea has something to do with him. It's all about him. It's always been that way. It has nothing to do with the finances and the house. Right? But what about us, Valerie? What about what we want? Or, it's all right for you if we suffer? Val, we are your family. We also love you more than anything else in the whole world, and we want to be with you all the time. We won't let you go through hell alone," Philip said angrily.

"I want to break up with him, for his good. I want him to forget me and soon to find another girl who will give him everything I can't." "There is no girl in the whole world who can give him more than you have already given him, and he will never be able to forget you, as you'll never be able to forget him," Tessa said.

"Sweetheart, it will be best if you let him decide what he wants. You must tell him about your illness. You can't keep this as a secret from him and your friends forever. Sooner or later, they will find out, and they will never forgive you. Please think about everything in the morning, when you'll calm down."

"There is nothing to think about again. I have made my decision, and it's up to you whether you will support me or not. In two days, I'm going to London, with or without you. I'm old enough, and I don't need your permission for anything I'm doing in my life."

"Your father and I are ready to give our lives for you two. If I could, I would gladly switch my place with you. Sweetheart, all I'm asking you is to think about everything one more time, please."

The knocking at the door interrupted this serious conversation. It was late, ten o'clock was passed, and Tessa went to the window to see who it might be at this time. It was Timothy. He was worried about where Valerie might be. He's been calling her all day, but she hasn't returned his phone calls. When Timothy returned home after work, he didn't find her there. He called all her friends, but nobody saw her today. He went to Mrs. Wilson's shop, hoping that she was still at work, but he found the shop closed. Her parents' house was the only place where she could be.

"It's Tim!" Tessa said to Valerie and her parents.

"Please get rid of him! Lie something!" Valerie said.

"I can't!"

"Please, Tess! Please, do it for me! Tell him that I'm out with mum, I'll sleep here, and tell him to meet me tomorrow evening on the beach at eight."

"Okay," Tessa said, and she went to open the door.

"Tess! Hi! What's going on? Why are you crying? Is everything all right?" Timothy asked.

"Um... I'm crying because is the end of the school year."

"You're crying because school is over?"

"The final exams are next week, and I'm not ready for them. When you see my results, you'll understand."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know that the situation is that bad. Listen, Tess, do you know where Valerie is? I'm calling her all day, but she is not available on her cell phone. I'm looking for her all evening, and I don't know where to look for her anymore. Do you know where she is? I'm really worried about her."

"She is out with mum."

"Then why she is not answering my calls?"

"She lost her phone. I'm sorry, she told me to call you to let you know, but I forgot. She also told me to tell you that she'll sleep here, and she wants you to meet her tomorrow at eight, on the beach."

"Okay! Thanks, Tess! I was afraid that something might have happened to her. Please tell her to call me when she comes back."

"Okay! Bye, Tim!" Tessa said, and she closed the door behind him.

Timothy was confused. Some of the explanations Tessa gave him didn't have sense. If Valerie lost her phone, as Tessa told him, she would have called him herself, to let him know. But the fact that she is all right calmed him down. That evening, he had more important things to think about than analyzing every word Tessa said.

Tomorrow on the beach, he will meet Valerie, and it seemed like a perfect opportunity to ask the big questions. He and Valerie have been together for ten years. They have been best friends for the past fifteen years. He loves her with all his heart, and since he met her, he has never even thought about another girl. Then, why not marry her now? Timothy always knew that one day he will propose to her on the beach, at their special place, and he decided that day would be tomorrow.