• It started out as my average summer, a time to relax and draw. It had been a pretty laid back year, and as the month of August came, I counted down the days. My mother pulled in the drive way one evening, on August the 1st, and she pointed across the street to a little ranch house and said "That woman there... shes going to die, she has cancer."
    I looked at her, slightly in shock. I knew this woman as the middle-aged lady with long blonde messy hair, that told on me and my freinds for floating squash in her neighbors pond while he was away a few years back... Since then I refered to her as Mrs. Tattle-tale. My little brother knew her as the lady who said "Merry Christmas" before letting all her little dogs out that barked and seeminly snapped at him last December... the Dog lady.
    How do you know? I asked my mother my eyes big as saucers
    "Paula knows her well... they're friends at work"
    Paula had been a family friends of ours for many years, and had known my mother since they both were 3 years old.
    I sat there and thought about the lady, how long I'd known of her... and my reasons I had for hating her for the past four years.. I felt bad, I was 12 when she told on me, and I was 16 now, a teenager, someone who should know how to just forgive and forget.
    A week went by and I would occasionally look out my window and see her house there, and wonder to myself how she was doing, if she was getting more sick or if maybe just maybe the treatments were working.
    One day me and my friend, rachel were sitting in the back of my mothers van, our legs dangling our the back of the trunk, when the woman gets out of her car and walks down the driveway to get the mail
    "Rachel, she knows Paula...thats the one I was talking about, you know her the tattle tale woman.. I wanna ask her if she knows Paula but what if she hates me for what happened?"
    "KIM, COME ON shes an adult, shes not going to flip out and be like oohhh you again you stupid kids stay away from peoples ponds, Rachel said."
    I laughed and got up and walked to the street
    "HEY... HEY do you know Paula?"
    The woman turned around and smiled, "YES I do! Paula told me she had freinds on this street... but I was affarid to ask anyone... I just cant go door to door to door asking, you know"
    We stood there and talked for the next 10 minutes before we got a chance to learn each others names, her name was Becky, and she was so excited to actually get a chance to talk to one of her neighbors. Weeks went by and we started talking more frequently at lease 2-3 times a week. I'd forget sometimes that she was sick, she was always so happy, and bright, and rarely did she ever seem down about what was happening. Paula told her I was an artist, and so I suprised her with a picture of roses that put a smile on her face. "Kim you didnt have to do this... but I'm glad you did" she said before hugging me. It made me happy to make someone so sick smile. But I was still worried... mom had told me she was going to die, this was her second time having breast cancer, and my mom told me people ushually die the second time around...and of course I didnt doubt my mother, who was a nurse.
    School started and I heard someone talking about how they had an aunt who died of breast cancer, hearing things like this made me tear up, and church wasnt any help. They all asked me if she was a believer, and when I answered, yes, they would say "Well at least you know you'll meet again in heaven." At least they tried, I dont blame them, if someone came up to me asking for advice about someone who may be dieing, I'm not sure I would know what to say first hand either.
    It was september and after many hellos and goodbyes and prayers, Becky walked up to me "I only have four more treatments of chemo... and then I start radiation. My goal is to get this chemo done, it makes me feel yucky."
    I knew then she was going to be okay after all this time, I worried and cried at the thought of loosing my new friend, granted radiation makes people feel bad as well, but she was going to get her hair back and be alright. My mother was wrong and for all you people out there please take time and listen to me, dont ever lose hope when something tragic happens, whether its illness, death or something less severe... things can happen every now and then that can turn the situation around, and remember to love everyone and enjoy them while there here, you never know when something can ahppen that may have their clock ticking.