Not a Normal Day--Giovanni

Throughout my life, I had never experienced any emotional situations; my life had been very lackluster with nothing extravagant or surprising happening. Little did I know I would soon go through one of the hardest times in my life, affecting me views and morals that I have toward the world. This day was normal as any other day, I woke up in the morning and got myself ready for school. That day my mom had a doctors appointment -a normal checkup- in the morning so she took her car and left, so my dad was tasked with taking me to school that day. I got my belongings and went into the car, we headed off for school. The ride to school was as normal as any other day, my dad made bad jokes I laughed, all was well. We eventually got there at school a little bit later than I would have liked to be. My dad said he’ll see me later and that my mom would be picking me up after school. I walked to class with some time to spare, and my day started from there just like how any other day had started. I went through my 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th periods just like how I did in any other day. I meet up with my friends and we started to walk to the parking lot. As I went over there I noticed that I saw my dads car; I took no notice and assumed my mom had driven my dads car. I said goodbye to my friends and I went to my car, to my surprise to see my dad in the car. I went inside the car, and I could feel that the

atmosphere felt somber, and that my dad looked glum, I asked him what was wrong he replied with, “I’ll tell you right now”. When started to head “home”, I noticed that we weren't going home, so out of curiosity I asked my dad were we were headed, He said we were going to the hospital. I didn’t understand then why, but I only assumed it was to pick up my mom. With that in my head I had an answer so I stayed quiet the rest of the way there. We finally got there, but something didn’t sit right with me, so I asked were and hows my mom; my dad didn’t reply. I assumed that something was wrong just from his response and from the look on his face (he’s very expretionative when it comes to his emotions). My dad lead the way, he asked the doctor were my mother was and we followed. I remained quiet, knowing my dad wasn’t going to talk; that is until the doctor told us that the room was here. Respectively enough I lead the way into the room only to find my mom on the bed sitting up. I thought nothing of it, so I asked how she was feeling; she jestered me to come here. I went over to her and she grasped me to give me a hug, so I did the same. The room was quite, the only noise was that of my moms tears, I was worried so I asked here what was wrong. She told me under her tears that she was diagnosed with cancer. I was dumbfounded, speechless, shocked; it was almost like I didn’t even hear what she said. My dad went closer and gave me a hug, and under his breath said that everything will be alright. The doctor started saying how this type of cancer is treatable under the right conditions, and that we were lucky in that they managed to find it only in its first few stages. This reassurance from the doctor kept my tears from breaking lose, but my thought were still the same. I sat down in a chair lost in thought, the doctor’s and my dads voice fading out. I thought it was over, that I’d lose her forever. My dad pulled me from these thoughts and say we could go home. We did just that and we walked out with my mom, we didn’t say a word; it wasn’t the

right time or place to do so. We got in the car and we started to head home, there was remote silence between us,not even the radio could lighten the mood. I couldn’t take it any longer so I asked what’s going to happen. My mom went back to her tears and my dad tried the best he could to explain what was going to happen, while trying to hold back his tears. Shortened down he told me that this type of cancer -lymphatic cancer- was the least harmful of the types of cancer, it was even more lucky that we found it while it was in its first few stages. The only problem was that my mother would have to go through chemo, radiation, and surgery, if we wanted to fight back the cancer. She did just that, for the next few months my mother went in and out of the hospital, all while still being with me and my father; still putting on a smile as if nothing was wrong. Until one day when she picked me up from school she broke down in tears, I did so as well after trying to hold them back for as long as I could. Under her tears she said that she couldn't take it anymore, that she wanted to give up, she was tired of this. I told her not to think like that, I had then showed emotions that had been deep within me, emotions hidden since the day I found out what was wrong with my mom. I let her know that, “I need you, we need you, me and dad both do; without you things will never be the same again, I don’t want to leave you, especially not when your so close from overcoming it and beating through it. Find the strength in yourself to keep going, because without you there is going to be no support to bring my and my dad together, our link.” My mom parked on the side of the rode, and all she did was hug me nothing more nothing less. She responded with, “I'm sorry, I thought that, giving up, just because of I felt like I had no one to support me, when my support was you two. Thank you.” My mom did just that she persevered onward with no signs of stopping. A few months passed and I so got ready for school just like any other day, my mom was going to the doctors less

frequently than often, and my dad was taking me to school. I got in the car and we started to drive off; he gave his witty jokes, and I laughed to them along the way; he dropped me off, and said he’d see me later like usual. I went through my 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th periods just like how do in any other day. I meet up with my friends and we started to walk to the parking lot, but this wasn’t just like any other normal day, instead of seeing my dad I saw my mom in her car, I said goodbye to my friends and got into her car. I got in the car and she was teary eyed again, I replied with, “everything is going to be alright”, she replied with, “everything is alright. She told me that at the doctors they told her that she was clear of her cancer, and that she was safe, that she persevered through it all. I gave my mom a hug, and I cried along with her. We drove home not in desperation and sadness this time, but with glee and happiness knowing that we were going to stay together as a whole family, I knew from the beginning of that day, that today was not going to be a normal day. From that day forward I learned something; that nothing is forever, to cherish everything in front of you, and to give love and kindness to everyone because you never know when you’ll lose them and you’ll never be able to give them that same kindness ever again.