Chapter 4: Everything, All at Once
“Let’s do the surgery,” Hope blurted out one evening. Joy gave Hardy a hard side-eye, which was responded to by I swear I didn’t tell her anything look.
“Why so sudden?” Joy asked.
“Sudden? If it’s your first day on earth, I’ve been speaking nonstop about this since 6th grade.”
“I didn’t mean that,” eye-roll, “I meant what’s new now? I still don’t want to do it. And Hardy shares the same view,”. Hardy nods.
“Hardy shares the same view because you’re forcing him to! Listen, Joy, we’ll turn 30 soon, only 4 years left to go, I don’t wanna be in my 30’s with no dating experience whatsoever. I don’t want to be 31 with a certificate in a major I don’t even like. I don’t want to die living like this. Heck if you could even call that a life.”
“What’s wrong with our life, Hope?” Joy snapped. “We live comfortably in a nice apartment. We have different thoughts and feelings. We aren’t the same person if that’s what you think-“
“No, we are! We can’t even breathe without the other two knowing. We share everything, everything. Even that damn doomed body. We aren’t alive, Joy, because we have no souls. We might be living, breathing, and eating pointlessly. But each of us doesn’t even own his life to be alive in it!”
Flashbacks are hitting Joy hard. Memories of years of trying to place her pain away are flooding like a hurricane. Hope’s words carried a truth in them. A truth Joy hoped to never face. Something salty is being swallowed. It’s soft and liquid.
It’s Joy’s tears.
“Hope, stop!” Hardy yelled through Hope’s continuous shouting.
I’m sorry, mom. But you were right. She’ll never learn until she experiences it herself. And I’m too, too weak to keep up with her. She left me no other option. I’m sorry, Hardy, in case this extends to you.
Hardy is helping Joy calm down while shooting death glares at Hope. Hope is nervous.
I’m sorry, Joy. It didn’t hit me that you weren’t Mom. That you wouldn’t tolerate me as she did. Hope might’ve thought.
Silence.
Regretful silence.
Eerie silence.
A gasp, then a speech.
“Perhaps,” a sniff. “perhaps you’re right, Hope. Perhaps we should do the surgery.” And the lights closed.
The story has a creative idea. Very good job 💖💖💖