It takes one single moment to define your life.
Cassie learned it the hard way. She's seventeen and felt like she has the world on her shoulders. Trying to survive and keep going despite the sadness and fear, Cassie finds out that opening your hear...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The sky was painted in crystal-blue. The sun was shining warm rays of light that danced with the shadows of the thick foliage from the trees around us. A diverse combination of colors displayed in front of me. Green and splashes of yellow in different shades. The car hummed as my eyes filled with tears.
My chest tightened as I fought the incessant urge to cry. I hated crying. I always did. Now, it seemed like it was the only thing I did.
My father was dead silent as he drove the car. His eyes were glued to the front and no words came out of his mouth. The air was too thick. Filled with sorrow and guilt.
It all came down to me.
I had been too weak. Too coward.
There was no excuse for my behavior. None.
I just didn't know how to deal with everything. I never did.
Mom was the courageous one. She was always upfront when she had a problem. She was outspoken and wasn't afraid to speak her mind. But she was gone now.
Swallowing hard, I closed my eyes. A trembling breath left my lips as my chest tightened with full force.
I would never hear her voice anymore. Or her loud laugh. She wouldn't make me jump whenever she sneezed as loud as ever.
My heart ached. I missed her. So much.
The worst part is that I had taken her for granted.
She was diagnosed with cancer almost three years ago. She had a rare type of cancer: multiple myeloma. It's a type of cancer that affects the white blood cells. Meaning that your immune system is pretty much shut down. Then, it moves to the bone marrow. Your bones are as fragile as a glass vase. You can't carry much weight; you can break a leg or an arm with the lightest blow on your body.
Her disease was pretty advanced when the doctors found out about it. Nonetheless, she lived for three years despite the ups and downs of the disease.
When she was first diagnosed, she hit a low point. In the span of a few months, she had lost the ability to walk. Her whole body was weak from the chemotherapies. But after a blood transfusion, she started to recover. In less than a year, she was able to walk again and have a rather normal life. There was always the shadow of the disease, though. She couldn't drive anymore and Dad had to hire a nurse to help her on a daily basis.
However, eight months ago, the cancer returned in full force. Chemotherapies and blood transfusions weren't enough this time. Her condition worsened. She had to try a new treatment and even though the doctor advised her to take it at the hospital, she wouldn't have it. She despised hospitals. Plus, she was stubborn as hell. Even the doctor couldn't argue with her.
