Finally, after months and months of saving, they had enough to go to a doctor. It was just her and her mother since her father needed to work. They had to wait for a few hours before the doctor could see them. And after that even more hours, they met the doctor in his office.
He said some medical things that, Carena thought; even if she spoke English since birth, she'd never know what he's talking about. And her mother kept asking what he was saying.
"Could you please just get to the point and also keep it as simple as possible?", Carena tried to talk without her frustration showing.
He gave them an understanding nod.
"Your mother might be suffering from lung cancer. We are still waiting on some test results."
"And how long do we wait for the results?"
"We'll call you when we get the results. And then work out what to do next from there."
"What happens if she does have it?"
"You'll have to bring her back in and we'll check for possible treatments. It all depends on the stage of the cancer. I know this must be hard to process, but I promise we'll do whatever we can to help your mother."
As long as you get the money.
Carena thought as she and her mother walked out of the office.
"Quoi? Que voulait-il dire?" [What? What did he say?"]
Carena felt like crying when she asked that question. But she dreaded giving her mother the news.
"Je vous le dirai à papa et toi à notre retour." [I'll tell you and dad when we get back.]
When they returned home, they sat at the table and she told her parents what the doctor told her. She did so while trying not to cry. After telling them everything, they told her to go to her room.
In her room, she could hear them discussing what they were going to do. Worry and frustration could be heard in their murmurs.
"Qu'allons-nous faire? On pouvait à peine se permettre la visite d'un médecin." [What are we going to do? We could barely afford a doctor's visit.]
"Nous trouverons un moyen. Tout va bien se passer." [We'll find a way. Everything is going to be fine.]
"C'est sérieux, Lucian. Nous avons des factures à payer et pas assez pour les couvrir. Pas mentionner Carena de l'éducation. Je veux qu'elle ait une vie meilleure. Comment allons-nous faire maintenant?" [This is serious, Lucian. We have bills to pay and not enough to cover them. Not mention Carena's education. I want her to have a better life. How are we going to do that now?]
Carena could hear her mother beginning to cry.
"Chut. Tout va bien. Carena est une fille forte et intelligente, tout comme sa mère. Nous allons passer.", he said comfortingly. [Shhh. Everything is going to be alright. Carena is a strong and intelligent girl, just like her mother. We'll get through this.]
"Comment pouvez-vous être sûr de cela?" [How can you be sure of that?]
"J'aurai un second boulot, trois, quatre si j'en ai besoin. Tu dois avoir la foi qu'on va s'en sortir." [I'll get a second job, three, four if I need to. You have to have faith that we'll get through this.]
Carena couldn't sleep at all that night. Anguish filled her mind and heart.
Her thoughts of anguish followed her to work the next day. She was working slower than usual, her mind going somewhere else.
Charles noticed her behavior right away when he came into the diner.
"What can I get you?", Carena asked, sullenly.
"Really, that's all I get?"
She looked up from her notepad and let out a faint laugh.
"Hello Charlie, what are you doing here?"
"Getting lunch. Would you like to join me?"
She shook her head, "I'm sorry, I can't."
"Come on, your break is soon, right? It'll be my treat.", he insisted.
"I just have a lot going on right now."
"You want to talk about it?"
Carena has had to get used to Charles' pushiness. Though it was her least liked the quality of him.
"I really do have to work."
"Come on, it'll do you some good to talk about it."
Carena sighed, "Fine, as long you're buying."
As they ate their burger and fries, Carena told Charles about the doctor's visit, the lack of money, and her worry for her mother.
"I need to find a way to help them out. I'm going to try to get more hours here, maybe even work on prom night."
"Isn't prom something important? Besides you're still waiting on the test results, there is a chance your mother doesn't have cancer, you shouldn't be imagining the worst."
"I just can't help it, this is serious. I need to start planning for the worst, instead of just laying back and hoping it all works out. And prom was important to me, but my family is WAY more important. I need to start saving, I don't have the kind of luxury you do."
It stayed quiet for a moment.
"I should get back to work. Thank you for lunch." She started getting up from her seat.
"Wait!", he pulls out his wallet, takes out a couple of twenties, and holds it out to her. "Here. If by the chance, the results come back positive, then I want to help. I know this wouldn't be close to enough but-"
Carena's eyes widen, afraid of even touching the money.
She shakes her head, "Charles, I'm not taking that."
"Please. I want to help you out. And for you to be able to enjoy your prom, like any other girl."
"No, I won't. It wouldn't be right for me to take that. And if you're really my friend you'll stop insisting." She walks away, frustrated, going back to work.
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