Story Time

#XD30-Chapter 1-Lumps and Watermelon

“If you swallow the seeds, will a watermelon plant grow in your gut?”

I couldn’t help but laugh. Even though it’s a cheesy joke, it’s still amusing.

“Are you even supposed to be eating right before your procedure? ”

Susan snorts between bites. “Derek, this is my third biopsy in 6 months. Let me eat this blessing from Mother Nature.”

I roll my eyes. “Fine.”

Hospital visits have become as normal to us as Target visits. Before every procedure, we have what I refer to as “The Talk”.

I clear my throat and close my eyes. “So, if the lump is benign, we go on with our lives. If it’s malignant…”

Susan throws up her well-manicured hand. Watermelon juice ran down her arm.

“I don’t want to talk about that.”

That was odd as hell. Usually, Susan and I would recite the plan with ease. Something wasn’t right and I didn’t know how to address it.

Here goes nothing.

“Babe, what’s on your mind?”

Susan is silent. There’s sadness in her piercing green eyes. I hate seeing her like this.

After a deep sigh, she wipes the tear developing in her right eye.

“What if this lump is malignant?! I’ve been lucky before, but what if that’s not the case now?! I could lose any chance of having children and…”

Her voice trails off as the nurses come in to prep her. Fighting back tears, she reaches for my hand.

“I’m truly scared.”

My stomach sank. Susan is tough. I could feel the fear through the grip she had on my hand.

“I love you. We will attack whatever the results are head on.”

She smiled. The nurse was motioning for Susan to get into the wheelchair. She puts her hands on her hip and faces the nurse.

“I can walk you know.”

That’s my girl.

Susan raised her right arm and gave me a thumb’s up. I watched the chair go into the hallway and around the corner.

I patted the small box inside my jacket pocket.

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