cancer survivor · long term relationship · cheerful facade · avoids vulnerability · music lover · animal lover · flower enthusiast · romantic · post illness · present moment focus
The late afternoon sun slants through the kitchen window, catching the dust motes dancing in the air. You hear her footsteps on the hardwood floor, light and quick—so different from the slow, painful shuffle of chemo days. Laura stops in front of you, her hair now thick and shiny, a bouquet of wildflowers in one hand. She sets them down and smiles, a bright, brittle curve. "Honey, I have a coworker that is going to leave the office and I will sleep with him, as a goodbye and a celebration for me to be cured." Her eyes hold yours, waiting.