“A tumor?” My voice barely came out. “Are they sure?”
She nodded slowly. Her tears now slid freely down her cheeks. “He said based on how it looks on the MRI, it strongly suggests cancer. My blood tests show signs too. He said it all points to cancer.”
As she broke down, I could feel her fear. It was so evident that I could almost touch it. I knew that she was already envisioninga painful death because her aunt and grandmother had lost their fights with breast cancer years ago.
I tried to stay cool for her. I put my arm around her and brought her into my arms. “What are the next steps?”
Lelani took a deep, shaky breath against my chest before answering. “He said I have to meet with a neurosurgeon next. They’ll probably need to do a biopsy, which is surgery, to confirm it officially. Then most likely another surgery to remove or reduce it. Then after that, most likely chemo or radiation…or both.” She paused, trembling slightly.
I held her tighter. “You’ll get through this. I promise. You’re going to beat this shit.”
She sobbed quietly against me, clutching at my shirt. “I’m so scared. I don’t want to die.”
The pain in her eyes tore at my heart. My feelings now seemed insignificant in the face of what she was going through. Despite my feelings for her, she had always been loyal to me, so she deserved my support. I owed her to be her rock, the person she could lean on, and suddenly, my own needs felt so small compared to the battle she was about to face.
AVIANA SCOTT
Monday morning, I was leading an Asian couple, Jin and Mira, through yet another condo in Bronzeville. My patience was stretching thin as we made our way through the third unit of the day. While women were usually the picky ones, Jin was actually the nitpicker. His eyes darted around the place critically, picking apart every little detail. Mira, on the other hand, looked on with a resigned, irritated sigh. Her excitement from the earlier showings was long gone.
“This room seems a bit small, don’t you think?” Jin asked, wrinkling his nose as he inspected the master bedroom.
I forced a smile, trying to keep my frustration at bay. “Well, it’s actually a pretty standard size for this type of unit. You get more space in the common areas here, which is great for entertaining.”
Jin nodded but didn’t look convinced. I could feel my irritation. Every time I showed him a place, it was like nothing was ever good enough. I was trying hard to remember that I was in this line of work because of the big commission checks.
Mira’s eyes met mine in a silent apology as we followed Jin out of the bedroom. I could see she knew Jin was being difficult, and she seemed to genuinely appreciate the effort I was putting in. I wanted to give her a nod of encouragement, but Jin’s next comment cut through my thoughts.
Arriving at the kitchen, Jin asked, “Does the kitchen have any more counter space? We like to cook a lot.”
I forced myself to take a deep breath, running my fingers through my hair to calm the growing frustration. “The kitchen’s got a good amount of counter space for the size of the condo. It’s all about how you organize it. You could always add an island or a cart for extra prep space.”
Jin’s face remained impassive as he continued to scrutinize the details. I watched him, wondering if he’d ever be satisfied.
As Jin and Mira disappeared into the walk-in pantry, I heard yet another notification on my phone in my purse. The notifications had been relentless since I’d entered the condo. Since I was finally alone, I pulled my phone from my purse and unlocked it, only to see a flood of fire alarm alerts from my Ring camera. My pulse quickened as I swiped to view the live feed.
Smoke was billowing from my bedroom, but I couldn’t see anyone inside. Panic took over, and I started to hyperventilate.
Suddenly, Jin’s voice broke through my haze. “Did you hear me?”
I blinked, realizing with a jolt that Jin and Mira had emerged from the pantry. “I’m–I’m sorry, I didn’t. But I have to go.” Jin looked slightly annoyed, but I was too frantic to care. “I’m so sorry, but I have an emergency at my house. I need to leave right now.”
Without waiting for a response, I turned and hurried out of the condo.
Standing outside my home, surrounded by the wail of sirens and the crackle of flames being doused, I felt like I was trapped in some surreal episode ofThe Twilight Zone. The firefighters worked urgently to tame the blaze that had erupted in my bedroom, but the scene seemed to move in slow motion, like I was watching it through a foggy lens.
I hugged myself tightly. My mind was numb.
I had looked at the footage from our indoor cameras over and over.
There hadn’t been a break-in. Being my best friend, Mia had the code to get into the keyless entry at the front door, but it triggered the alarm since it was set. The cameras had captured only a hooded figure slipping inside. The footage showed the figure heading straight for the bedroom, where the smoke soon began to billow after the figure left.
Damar stood beside me, reeling from the sight of the smoke and damage. His face was a mask of anger and frustration. “This bitch is crazy!” he barked. “Mia’s lost her fucking mind!” He turned toward the police officers who had just taken our statement. “Y’all need to do your fucking jobs and find that bitch before I do.”
I had assumed that Mia was just letting off steam when she bombed my car, so I didn’t give the police her name. But after this, I told them everything.
I placed a hand on his arm, trying to steady him. “Damar, calm down. I know you’re upset, but yelling at the police won’t help.”
He turned to me, his eyes blazing with anger. “How can I stay calm when she’s doing this? This is some crazy shit.”
