All the Songs Have Been Erased, chapter 11
I sat down in one of the seats in the waiting room as Tre went up to the lady at the desk. "Frank Wright for Dr. Wereie," he said. Ah, I thought. Frank Wright. Stephanie Wright. Frank and Stephanie Wright. It does have a ring to it. Seriously, as mature as I was, I still was only 22, so I thought about that kind of stuff.
But the more I thought about it, the more I thought about how it might never happen. This was too much for me, I couldn't believe that there was a chance that it could never occur. We were meant to be together. There was no way that he could leave me, no way at all. At least no way that would allow me to survive.
I sighed as I opened a copy of People. Reading stupid celebrity stuff such as gossip always brought a distraction to me. I leafed through the magazine and caught myself in one of the pictures. Best Dressed at the VMA's, the title read. And I was one of those people. Nice.
I had been wearing a strapless black dress with a white hem on the top and bottom dotted with black beads. It had been my own design and had strayed a bit from what the mainstream usually accepted, so I was glad that I won something from it.
The thing that I got the most credit for though was wearing the Green Day dress at the Grammy's a few months back. Tre had taken over Billie Joe's American Idiot look, putting on all black and a red tie. I had a black strapless that had a red tie sewn into it, holding it up like a halter. I was also wearing black lace elbow warmers.
Tre and I were called the "Twins of the Year" with that get-up. All in good fun... all in good fun. I skimmed through the magazine and got bored with it so I just sat down and looked out the window.
Tre startled me when he said, "Nice job at the VMA's with your outfit. I saw the article." "Oh, thanks," I replied. "That was an awesome dress, you designed it perfectly. But the twin look at the Grammy's was classic." I smiled, "I was just thinking that."
I put my arm around Tre and closed my eyes, laughing to myself. "What's so funny?" he asked.
"Mmm, you can almost smell the burning pork... hey, have you ever thrown rocks at cops?" I started laughing hysterically.
Tre was laughing too, "Steph! How many times do I have to tell you that in it's context that quote isn't that random!"
"Yes... it... is...," I said laughing so hard I could barely spit out the words.
"Whatever," Tre said, letting his laughter sign off into a soft smile. I rested my head on his shoulder. "Another moment to be saved," I said. Tre nodded.
"I'm gonna lose my hair, aren't I?" Tre sighed and looked out the window. I looked up at him with a straight face, "Yeah... it comes with the process."
"I'm gonna lose a lot of things, aren't I, Steph? My hair, my strength, my pride, you, my li-"
"No Tre," I interrupted. "Positive. And you won't lose that. You won't lose me either. Never. Yes, you will lose a few things, but you can always regain them. You'll keep the important stuff."
"Good, because I'd never want anything else."
"Frank Wright." The lady said from the door looking around the waiting room. "Right here," Tre said as he and I got up. We followed her into a dim lighted hallway and finally got to a room. I sat on the mini-couch in the corner, while Tre got comfortable in the spot next to me.
The nurse began to ask Tre some questions, "Frank, how old are you?" "41," he responded.
"And your height?"
"5'6''."
"Weight?"
"Around 160."
"Recent sexual engagements?"
"None."
The nurse took a glance at me, "You sure?"
"Seriously, none," Tre responded.
"Because it is important for us to know..."
"Christ, lady, I haven't had sex in like 2 years, okay?" Tre was starting to get a little pissed, I could tell.
"Okay," she sighed and started to mumble. "The rich and famous always think they can do whatever they want."
Tre was super pissed now, "Jesus Christ! When I tell you I haven't had sex in 2 years, I mean it! What the hell is your problem?"
"You know, I'm going to go now, the doctor will be in shortly," the nurse replied.
Tre hunched over and as soon as she left said, "What a bitch." I agreed, "Seriously, nurses shouldn't question whether a dying patient is lying or anything." I immediately wanted to choke on my words. Tre looked down at the floor and I could tell that he was going to tear up, "No, Tre, I didn't mean it that way. Oh, Tre, no, I didn't. Oh shit, I'm sorry. I really, really am."
"No, its okay," he replied. "I just... I'm still not coping with it well. I'm still in denial of the whole thing."
"Well, you'll be fine, don't worry." Just then there was a knock on the door, and Dr. Wereie came in. My jaw dropped.
"Holy...shit..."
***
"Hello Mr. Wright, I'm Dr. Wereie and..." The doctor stopped mid-sentence. "Stephanie??" I looked down to the ground before looking back up, "Hello, Doctor."
"Oh my dear Lord, Stephanie, I haven't seen you since you were at least 17! Look at you now! Where was it that I last saw you?" Dr. Wereie asked.
I bit my lower lip, "Um, I think it was, um, his 18th birthday?" "Yes, I believe so," he responded. "Dear Lord, both of you were on top of each other! We couldn't tear you apart for cake. Such a site for the rest of us guests! But true love is true love. Surely, you must still be together now?"
Tre looked at me, dumbfounded. I responded, "You know, the guy I datged a few years back." Dr. Wereie laughed, "Ha, yeah right! Dated! You two were practically married, or at least you acted like a married couple! You were two lovebirds."
Tre looked at me again, "But, you said only one other time... was this-?" I nodded, It was true. My ex and I were together for a few years, and I broke up with him a few months before I turned 18. Then there was Sam, the boy I talked about before, and the truth was, I wasn't really devastated from the loss of Sam, but more coping with him.
"Tre," I said. "This is you-know-who's uncle, Dr. Wereie." Tre new who my ex was, they had met before. I can't say they get along very well... but, well, I don't get along with him well either.
The doctor laughed, "I suppose we can be introduced that way! And you're Stephanie's... uncle too, I'm going to guess? What a small world." Oh, doctor, your quick to assumptions.
Tre covered up my left hand with his, "No actually, I'm her fiancé."
Dr. Wereie looked shocked, "Oh... well... um, my mistake. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, I mean. Ah, I apologize, I didn't mean to make this so awkward."
I sat back and looked down to the ground as I quietly said, "That's okay."
Dr. Wereie continued, "You know, I know this must be terribly awkward for you right now, and I apologize for that. If you wish to see another doctor I can arrange that, effective immediately."
I would've volunteered to go with that idea instantaneously, but once again, Tre is the responsible one. "No, we have heard great things about you, Doctor. I'm not going to change just because your related to my fiancee's ex-boyfriend from high school," he said.
The doctor nodded and began to speak quickly while I tried my best to take notes, "Thank you for your praise, I appreciate it. Now, um, let's get down to business, okay? Let's see. Well, Mr. Wright, you have a rather large tumor on the right side of your brain. Here is what we want to do. Now as you know, it is cancerous, so first of all, we want to remove it as soon as possible. Second of all, you will have to go through chemo sessions after the surgery to ensure removal. The surgery, like all surgeries, will have risks involved and I will explain those in a second. I tried to schedule the earliest appointment we had, and that was next Monday, which I'm hoping is all right with you. If it isn't, totally fine, we'll look for a new date, but this is extremely important.
"Anyway, so we will do that and hopefully be able to remove most of the tumor without damaging the brain. Unfortunately, since it is 3rd stage, it is deeply welded in there, if you know what I mean. So after surgery we will go through as many rounds of chemo necessary to get it it completely removed. Then hopefully this problem of yours will be eliminated."
Dr. Wereie then went on to explain the risks and other symptoms that could or will occur because of the things Tre would be going through. He also told us all of the paperwork and things we needed for the surgery were taken care of through previous records, and all we had to do was show up on Monday at the hospital and be ready for surgery.
"Well, thank you very much, Doctor," Tre said as we began to walk out the door. "You left me with no questions!" "I tend to get that a lot," the doctor smiled.
I was still looking down, "Nice seeing you again, Dr. Wereie."
"You too, Stephanie," he said as he began to walk in the opposite direction.
Tre and I walked down the hallway in silence, as well as all the way to the car. We didn't even look at each other, but to the ground that we were walking on. Tre sat in the passenger's seat while I got on the driver's side. I put the car in drive and we drove off, leaving that horrendous doctor's appointment behind.
But the more I thought about it, the more I thought about how it might never happen. This was too much for me, I couldn't believe that there was a chance that it could never occur. We were meant to be together. There was no way that he could leave me, no way at all. At least no way that would allow me to survive.
I sighed as I opened a copy of People. Reading stupid celebrity stuff such as gossip always brought a distraction to me. I leafed through the magazine and caught myself in one of the pictures. Best Dressed at the VMA's, the title read. And I was one of those people. Nice.
I had been wearing a strapless black dress with a white hem on the top and bottom dotted with black beads. It had been my own design and had strayed a bit from what the mainstream usually accepted, so I was glad that I won something from it.
The thing that I got the most credit for though was wearing the Green Day dress at the Grammy's a few months back. Tre had taken over Billie Joe's American Idiot look, putting on all black and a red tie. I had a black strapless that had a red tie sewn into it, holding it up like a halter. I was also wearing black lace elbow warmers.
Tre and I were called the "Twins of the Year" with that get-up. All in good fun... all in good fun. I skimmed through the magazine and got bored with it so I just sat down and looked out the window.
Tre startled me when he said, "Nice job at the VMA's with your outfit. I saw the article." "Oh, thanks," I replied. "That was an awesome dress, you designed it perfectly. But the twin look at the Grammy's was classic." I smiled, "I was just thinking that."
I put my arm around Tre and closed my eyes, laughing to myself. "What's so funny?" he asked.
"Mmm, you can almost smell the burning pork... hey, have you ever thrown rocks at cops?" I started laughing hysterically.
Tre was laughing too, "Steph! How many times do I have to tell you that in it's context that quote isn't that random!"
"Yes... it... is...," I said laughing so hard I could barely spit out the words.
"Whatever," Tre said, letting his laughter sign off into a soft smile. I rested my head on his shoulder. "Another moment to be saved," I said. Tre nodded.
"I'm gonna lose my hair, aren't I?" Tre sighed and looked out the window. I looked up at him with a straight face, "Yeah... it comes with the process."
"I'm gonna lose a lot of things, aren't I, Steph? My hair, my strength, my pride, you, my li-"
"No Tre," I interrupted. "Positive. And you won't lose that. You won't lose me either. Never. Yes, you will lose a few things, but you can always regain them. You'll keep the important stuff."
"Good, because I'd never want anything else."
"Frank Wright." The lady said from the door looking around the waiting room. "Right here," Tre said as he and I got up. We followed her into a dim lighted hallway and finally got to a room. I sat on the mini-couch in the corner, while Tre got comfortable in the spot next to me.
The nurse began to ask Tre some questions, "Frank, how old are you?" "41," he responded.
"And your height?"
"5'6''."
"Weight?"
"Around 160."
"Recent sexual engagements?"
"None."
The nurse took a glance at me, "You sure?"
"Seriously, none," Tre responded.
"Because it is important for us to know..."
"Christ, lady, I haven't had sex in like 2 years, okay?" Tre was starting to get a little pissed, I could tell.
"Okay," she sighed and started to mumble. "The rich and famous always think they can do whatever they want."
Tre was super pissed now, "Jesus Christ! When I tell you I haven't had sex in 2 years, I mean it! What the hell is your problem?"
"You know, I'm going to go now, the doctor will be in shortly," the nurse replied.
Tre hunched over and as soon as she left said, "What a bitch." I agreed, "Seriously, nurses shouldn't question whether a dying patient is lying or anything." I immediately wanted to choke on my words. Tre looked down at the floor and I could tell that he was going to tear up, "No, Tre, I didn't mean it that way. Oh, Tre, no, I didn't. Oh shit, I'm sorry. I really, really am."
"No, its okay," he replied. "I just... I'm still not coping with it well. I'm still in denial of the whole thing."
"Well, you'll be fine, don't worry." Just then there was a knock on the door, and Dr. Wereie came in. My jaw dropped.
"Holy...shit..."
***
"Hello Mr. Wright, I'm Dr. Wereie and..." The doctor stopped mid-sentence. "Stephanie??" I looked down to the ground before looking back up, "Hello, Doctor."
"Oh my dear Lord, Stephanie, I haven't seen you since you were at least 17! Look at you now! Where was it that I last saw you?" Dr. Wereie asked.
I bit my lower lip, "Um, I think it was, um, his 18th birthday?" "Yes, I believe so," he responded. "Dear Lord, both of you were on top of each other! We couldn't tear you apart for cake. Such a site for the rest of us guests! But true love is true love. Surely, you must still be together now?"
Tre looked at me, dumbfounded. I responded, "You know, the guy I datged a few years back." Dr. Wereie laughed, "Ha, yeah right! Dated! You two were practically married, or at least you acted like a married couple! You were two lovebirds."
Tre looked at me again, "But, you said only one other time... was this-?" I nodded, It was true. My ex and I were together for a few years, and I broke up with him a few months before I turned 18. Then there was Sam, the boy I talked about before, and the truth was, I wasn't really devastated from the loss of Sam, but more coping with him.
"Tre," I said. "This is you-know-who's uncle, Dr. Wereie." Tre new who my ex was, they had met before. I can't say they get along very well... but, well, I don't get along with him well either.
The doctor laughed, "I suppose we can be introduced that way! And you're Stephanie's... uncle too, I'm going to guess? What a small world." Oh, doctor, your quick to assumptions.
Tre covered up my left hand with his, "No actually, I'm her fiancé."
Dr. Wereie looked shocked, "Oh... well... um, my mistake. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, I mean. Ah, I apologize, I didn't mean to make this so awkward."
I sat back and looked down to the ground as I quietly said, "That's okay."
Dr. Wereie continued, "You know, I know this must be terribly awkward for you right now, and I apologize for that. If you wish to see another doctor I can arrange that, effective immediately."
I would've volunteered to go with that idea instantaneously, but once again, Tre is the responsible one. "No, we have heard great things about you, Doctor. I'm not going to change just because your related to my fiancee's ex-boyfriend from high school," he said.
The doctor nodded and began to speak quickly while I tried my best to take notes, "Thank you for your praise, I appreciate it. Now, um, let's get down to business, okay? Let's see. Well, Mr. Wright, you have a rather large tumor on the right side of your brain. Here is what we want to do. Now as you know, it is cancerous, so first of all, we want to remove it as soon as possible. Second of all, you will have to go through chemo sessions after the surgery to ensure removal. The surgery, like all surgeries, will have risks involved and I will explain those in a second. I tried to schedule the earliest appointment we had, and that was next Monday, which I'm hoping is all right with you. If it isn't, totally fine, we'll look for a new date, but this is extremely important.
"Anyway, so we will do that and hopefully be able to remove most of the tumor without damaging the brain. Unfortunately, since it is 3rd stage, it is deeply welded in there, if you know what I mean. So after surgery we will go through as many rounds of chemo necessary to get it it completely removed. Then hopefully this problem of yours will be eliminated."
Dr. Wereie then went on to explain the risks and other symptoms that could or will occur because of the things Tre would be going through. He also told us all of the paperwork and things we needed for the surgery were taken care of through previous records, and all we had to do was show up on Monday at the hospital and be ready for surgery.
"Well, thank you very much, Doctor," Tre said as we began to walk out the door. "You left me with no questions!" "I tend to get that a lot," the doctor smiled.
I was still looking down, "Nice seeing you again, Dr. Wereie."
"You too, Stephanie," he said as he began to walk in the opposite direction.
Tre and I walked down the hallway in silence, as well as all the way to the car. We didn't even look at each other, but to the ground that we were walking on. Tre sat in the passenger's seat while I got on the driver's side. I put the car in drive and we drove off, leaving that horrendous doctor's appointment behind.
