4:06 - A Tale of Leukemia

Who Am I | Chapter 12

012 | The Art of LIVING

''HOW come you're always at the hospital?'' Boo quizzed into the silence of the horizon, with the occasional blast of the AC to fill it.

Andrei took his eyes off the road for merely a second, before tapping his fingers on the wheel. ''I... was visiting someone.''

The person he was visiting obviously wasn't him, otherwise he wouldn't have said 'someone' Boo decided not to push him, or bring up the fact he had seen him wearing a hospital band prior, that was only given to patients.

Maybe, you needed one to visit a patient. Who knew. Boo looked around the tight space of the Van, seeing an abandoned jacket thrown across the backseat, along with old candy bar wrappers, put out blunts, and even a makeshift bed.

Boo graced the silence with his soft inquisitive voice.

''Do you... live in here?''

''There aren't many living options for ex-junkies.'' He explained, for the first time since Boo met him, disclosing something about him, instead of everybody else. Although, he looked as if he hadn't meant for those words to slip put.

Boo thought about it, before asking, ''Is that why you were in the hospital that one night?'' It'd make so much more sense if it were the reason.

Sensing his internal debate, Boo grabbed the hand resting against the center counsel, entwining their hands in a brave act of confidence. ''It's okay! You can tell me. I won't tell anybody.''

Andrei squeezed his hands, before letting go to hold onto the wheel as he made a left-hand turn. He answered without looking him directly in the eyes. ''I lost my mother to... breast cancer, in high-school, and since my dad wasn't reliable or sober enough to raise a fourteen-year-old on his own, I always looked to father-figures in school, and ended up rolling with the wrong people... they taught me to use drugs as a coping mechanism, and I did.''

For a minute, Boo had thought he would end the conversation after that, leaving the both of them in an unwieldy silence, but after a minute he continued.

''Anyways, it became habit, whenever something would happen, and I'd break up with my girlfriend or something...''

Cassandra?

''... I ended up overdosing, the day prior to when you saw me.''

''Why?'' He needed to know if he and Cassandra had broken up, so he wouldn't feel guilty for crushing on her boyfriend whenever they were together.

''Me and Cassie had gotten into it, and . . . ''

And?

''What about you? Why'd you run out of the hospital?'' His question lingered in the air as Boo processed his words.

''Because I want to complete my bucket-list before...''

''Before?''

''I die.''

It was clear Andrei did not understand his words, from the slight curve in his lips, and the furrow of his brows. ''That's kinda depressing, are you suicidal?''

''No. It's just... I might have overheard something from my parents and my doctor, and he says there's nothing that can be done for my cancer. That it's only time before I die,''

A wrinkle remained in between his brows. ''Do they know you overheard them?''

''No! And I don't want them too.'' He crossed his arms across his chest. ''I want to see how long they are planning on keeping it from me, and I want to finish my bucket-list before they decide, 'its too dangerous, you might get hurt.''

He scoffed at the thought. ''I wonder if Teddy knows, and that's why he's been acting so weird and distant lately.''

Andrei stayed quiet, thinking probably.

Boo turned the radio on, hating his silence at this very moment when he needed words to calm him down.

A soft-strummed ukulele emitted out the radio, along with gentle lyrics and a gentle voice to accompany it.

Boo found himself humming along, the instrumental seemed familiar, but he didn't recognize the name of the Artist. It was probably one of those songs he had heard one distinctive time, and put it on his playlist, but in time listened to it again.

He looked at Andrei, who looked very aesthetic at this very moment, humming along also, while performing rhythmic taps on the steering wheel with his pointer finger, flipping a headfull of silky blonde hair back, out of his eyes. The blue irises that were originally hidden behind hair, now exposed to the golden sunshine that Arizona had to offer.

He glanced over to Boo, who probably looked similar now. Exposed to the golden-hour glow, through untinted window.

He thought about it before asking the older.

''Can you help me?''

''With what?'' He looked wary.

''With completing my bucket-list. I don't really have anybody else right now I can trust, besides Teddy, who probably knew about it as well.''

He wasn't too sure who he could trust anymore. His parents both knew about his doctor's words, hell, they were there when he said them. Teddy... could've been trustworthy, because in all realness, he had been acting weird before the conversation had even taken place.

Not to mention, the fact he had been in the bathroom prior to their conversation.

Hmm...

He wondered if Teddy would be offended at all, if he completed his bucket-list without including him. Probably, probably not.

It's not like he had the time to dwell over it. He wanted to spend his last few years, months, days, weeks -- however long he had left, making happy memories, and thinking happy things. Memories that'd follow him to Heaven... or hell.

Heaven preferably.

Or maybe just the coffin.

He didn't know.

God!

He was having an existential crisis.

He smacked himself in the forehead, chanting something along the lines of 'Think happy thoughts, and only happy thoughts.

Luckily, his mind was immediately sparred from thinking about anything confusing or unhappy, when Andrei said. ''I'll help you complete your list.''

A genuine smile took up the bottom-half of his face, and even Andrei was smiling. His lips curved up at the sides.

That was something good at least. He'd be able to have at least a few good memories before Cancer took him out.

That was good.

''Thanks.''

A nod in acknowledgement, that was all that Andrei.