The doctors are sure? Rachel asked. She was aware that she was already feeling the sting of tears, and a lump was forming in the back of her throat. Shed been close to Grandma Tate in her teenage years but theyd grown apart as Rachel got older. She hadnt seen her grandmother face-to-face in over eight months. But despite that distance, the hurt surprise of the moment was no less real.

Yes. Thats whats been going on for these last few months. Tests to be sure and then to figure out how much time I have and if its treatable.

Well, is it?

They think it might be. We caught it late, but not the-sky-is-falling late. Theres chemo, of course, and some other medicines I dont quite understand. And to be honest with you, Im not sure if Im going to look into any of it. The doc basically told me theres nothing much to be done about it.

And then Rachel was crying. Not only that, but the tears seemed to also push another reality to the forefront of her mind. See how easy that was for her? some alien voice told her. She tore that Band-Aid right off and now a loved one knows what shes going through. You could take an example from this…

Rachel shut the thought out quickly. This was not about her or her diagnosisthis was not about the inoperable tumor that was currently taking up residence inside of her brain. This was about Grandma Tate. And even if she did want to tell her grandmother about her own diagnosis, now was not the time. She did not drive all the way down to Aiken, South Carolina, to one-up her with cancer diagnoses.

She sipped from her tea, if only to distract herself. And good Lord, it was about as sweet as shed imagined it would beanother of those southern things. She eyed her grandmother for a moment and saw that while it had seemed easy for her to get the information out, it looked like it had taken an emotion toll. Grandma Tate had a look on her face that was similar to a driver who was coming up on a car accident in the other lane and was trying to decide if they would keep their eyes straight ahead or if they wanted to catch a peek at the damage.

How long do they give you? Rachel asked.

Two years. Maybe three. They say the treatment could cure me, but the chances are slim. And with that treatment, I might get another two years. Might. So I figure Im going to leave these last few years without chemo muddying it all up. And when the end comes…

She shrugged and sipped from her tea. A mosquito darted around her head and when she swatted at it, her aim was true. It went to the porch floor where she stomped it with her Croc.