A Second Life

Together with my mom, I visited my aunt Stella who had cancer before. She was my mom's best friend back in college who went through several chemotherapy treatments before she fully recovered. The last time we visited her, she was so skinny and bald. My mom almost cried when she saw her best friend. She cannot even look at her directly because mom didn't want aunt Stella to feel sad. Mom wanted to be strong for her best friend, too. But right now, we are seeing a different Stella. She was smiling at us when we arrived at her house. She told us the good news and of course my mom was very happy. My mom almost cried again. You know, mom is a very emotional person. She always cries, even for the pettiest of things. Sometimes I think she would cry over a dead ant.

Aunt Stella and my mom had a long talk in her garden full of Heliconia species. Her garden is so big and was full of different kinds of ornamental plants. She told us that gardening was her pastime during the time she is so depressed because of her cancer. There was a point in her life also when felt giving up, but her family and friends inspired her to fight for her life. Now, she is back in her usual life. She still undergo tests to monitor cancerous cells, but she is very much happy right now. Her eyes are the proofs of that happiness. Next year, she and her husband will travel to Alaska for a vacation. My mom even joked that it is aunt Stella and her husband's post-cancer honeymoon.