Present Perfect(102)

“Tweet, put it down.” The look in his eyes was determined and full of desire.

“Huh?”

“The cake, put it down. Now.”

I sat the cake on the side of the tub. Noah reached behind my neck, pulling me against him. Our lips came together and our tongues knew exactly where to go and what to do. Grabbing his shoulders, I lifted myself up and then slowly sunk down on to him as his mouth and hands found my already hard nipples.

“This is the best bubble bath in the history of bubble baths,” I moaned.





Noah has 99.9% of my heart. The rest will always belong to a special boy who changed my life forever.





I still spent time with Dalton on the Sundays before chemo. It gave me comfort and strength to face another treatment.

“Dalton, I did it. I told Noah I loved him and he loves me. I wasn’t too late.”

I knelt, placing the flowers down and ran my hand over his name. Dalton Michael Connor.

The night I danced with Dalton was the last time I saw him. When I went to chemo the next morning, I found out he had died in his sleep, just a few hours after leaving me.

Dalton was the first cancer funeral I went to. He had planned it himself. There was a cover band that played The Stones, AC/DC, and of course, Whitney Houston. There wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t miss him. I realize now that what I felt between us that night was Dalton giving me my thank you and goodbye. But most of all, he was giving me my life with Noah.





See ya, goodbye, adios, sayonara, good riddance, ciao and good night to you.





My chemo finally came to an end just before summer. To say I was ecstatic would be an understatement. Other than my memories of being in treatment alongside Dalton, I wanted that part of my life over with. I still believe that everything happens for a reason, even the bad stuff. And I’ll always be grateful for the lessons cancer taught me, for the people it brought into my life and the bright light it cast on those already in my life, so that I could see how deeply their love for me was. I was ready to start back at school and make a life with Noah. Cancer had given me a second chance and I wasn’t going to waste it.

Noah and I were inseparable. Other than when he was in class, we were together. I guess we were trying to make up for all the time we weren’t a couple. We decided to move into together. His dad had left him enough money for a sizable down payment and then some, so he bought a condo in the same community as his friend Carter, which was great because we weren’t far from Emily. Emily and I were closer than ever. The support and strength she gave me during the worst of my treatment was incredible. I couldn’t have survived this without her.

Noah and I moved into our place the first part of the summer. It was one of the happiest days of my life.

He was eager to graduate early and start medical school, so he took classes over the summer and worked a full time job as a transporter at MUSC, the medical school he would be attending. Noah was incredible.

I decided to take a couple of core classes when the fall semester started at the College of Charleston. I was going to research schools that offered a major in journalism through online courses. I wasn’t going to leave Charleston, my family, and of course, Noah. Charleston was full of locally published magazines besides the newspaper. Over the summer, I had done some freelance writing for a local magazine. It was great because I was gaining experience and making contacts. Life was good but busy. Busy is good because it shows you’re alive. That sounds like something Dalton aka Mr. Miyagi would say. That boy made quite an impression on me and my outlook on life.





I reached my one year anniversary of being cancer free. I went in for monthly checkups at first, then it turned into every three months, and since I hit the one year mark, I’ll go every six months unless I have any trouble. I couldn’t believe it had been a year and a half since the diagnosis and amputation. My artificial leg finally started to feel like a part of me. Not that it will ever feel like an actual leg, but you’d be amazed how your mind adjusts to it.

I think about Dalton every day and miss him. Even though my chemo is over, I still go visit him on those Sundays before what would be our on week. I started volunteering once a week at the Hollings Cancer Center. I’d never be someone’s Dalton because what he and I had was special and unique, but I could hold the hand of a scared child or listen to a teenager talk about their concerns regarding what lies ahead for them.





Noah graduated from the College of Charleston in three years with honors. I don’t know who was more proud of him on his graduation day, me or his mom. Most likely, it was a tie. He was beyond excited to start medical school.

The second anniversary being cancer free came and went without a lot of attention. I was glad. That meant I was no longer defining myself by the cancer. Noah and I celebrated quietly with a dinner cruise around Charleston Harbor. It was nice spending an entire evening together. He’d been so busy with classes that he rarely had a free night. Medical school was more demanding than either of us thought it would be. I mean, they tell you up front that it will be your life, day and night, but you think they’re exaggerating. They’re not. But we would get through this together, piece of cake.





I was sitting in Dr. Lang’s office waiting for him. When Noah and I finally became an official couple, he went with me to the remaining chemo treatments and to every follow-up appointment, except for today.