Chapter one
“…you have about five months left. It could be longer, that’s only by chance. Our biggest fear is that your time could be less. The cancer cells are multiplying at an alarming rate. If there was anything more I could do…” Doctor Phillips took a deep sigh after saying that. He looked at Rachel, waiting for her to say something. Rachel didn’t say anything. Her lips felt dry and she had reached into her purse to get some lip-gloss.
She didn’t know what to say. This was the last thing she expected to hear, the last thing anyone expects to hear. She didn’t know how long it would take for the shock to settle in. Kelly. Her name kept playing over in Rachel’s head when she finally felt a tear roll down her cheek. Doctor Phillips grabbed a tissue and passed it to her. He thought it better not to say anything. What could he or anyone say to make her feel better?
The deafening silence lasted for a few minutes after he decided to say something.
“You’ll get the medication at the front desk.
Those pills work wonders for headaches and…um…stomach flu. Please inform me if they aren’t.”
Rachel couldn’t say anything, what good would it be. Her fate had been decided. Her throat felt dry.
She put her lip-gloss back in her purse and stood up to leave. Kelly must’ve been waiting for a while now, Rachel knew how restless she got in waiting rooms.
When Rachel got to the waiting room, Kelly was being her usual self. Telling all the other kids about a really cool story she had read a while ago. Everyone seemed to be on the edge of their seats with excitement.
Rachel went to the front desk to get her medication. The secretary gave her the most rehearsed smile she had ever seen, like something out of an American toothpaste commercial from the nineties. Rachel graciously smiled back and motioned for Kelly to come with her. She thought it best not to tell her anything, not just yet.
Once they got home Kelly ran to the lounge, her favorite cartoon was on and it seemed she hadn’t received any homework for that afternoon.
“Keep the volume down will you?” yelled Rachel as she went up the stairs.
“Sure Mum!” Kelly replied once she got there.
Rachel didn’t know who she’d tell first. Her parents were in France and she had no idea when they’d be back. Her younger sister Hayden was probably at the mall and her friend Marcia was probably still at work.
She didn’t seem to know who to tell or what to say, she didn’t really know if she wanted to admit it to herself.
Rachel went to her room and found her diary on her bed. She couldn’t remember the last time that she had written in it so she picked it up and decided to go through it. Somehow she felt she was a different person from when she had written those entries so long ago. Most of the entries were about the books she had read, Friday’s at the park with Kelly and Eric. Eric was her little brother and almost every second entry was about a prank he played or a new joke he told her. She wondered how he would take the news.
Rachel found a note on the last page, an old piece of paper. She didn’t remember how it got there, but it had a name on it as well as an address. She read the name Adrian Abenzio Moretti, Rachel didn’t remember ever hearing that name before and it was attached to what seemed like an Italian address.
Maybe she had forgotten who that was, the paper seemed old. She tore a page from her diary and decided to write Adrian a letter. She didn’t know how she was going to introduce herself, she hadn’t written anyone a letter since high school, and that was a long time ago. She decided she would writte that letter. She needed to talk to someone, even if he was just an address she had come across.
Dear Adrian…she wrote. She scratched that out; she didn’t want to sound weird since they hardly knew each other. She giggled at the thought and tore another page from her diary.
To Adrian
I don’t know how to start. I really need to talk to someone and I happened to stumble across your address. I don’t really know you and I’m guessing you don’t know me.
She looked at the page, not knowing what to say next. She decided to say exactly what she needed to, ignoring civility and humility for the first time in her life it seemed.
My name is Rachel, I would prefer to use my alias 'Ricky'.
I got some really bad news today; turns out I’m going to die in a bit. I haven’t really told anyone but you. I don’t really know how to break the news, especially now that I finally got my dream job. Was planning on traveling next year, seems to be the only thing I really wanted to do.
Went to Hawaii once, adopted a child while I was there. I named her Kelly, prettiest little thing. Loved that country but I was only there for a week though.
Tell me what was the most impulsive thing you have ever done. Guess I’m pretty Impulsive myself, didn’t expect it all to end this soon.
Write back
Rachel leaned over the drawer and grabbed an envelope. She noticed it was yellow and tossed it aside.
‘Who uses yellow envelopes?’ She thought to herself as she reached over to grab a blue envelope instead. ‘Not exactly a brighter concept, but blue will do’
She put the letter in the envelope, sealed it and wrote his address on it.
She was really going to do it…