Ghost Party

Cole and I are sitting in the car outside a takeaway Japanese store. Tom and George, Babu and Adeline are inside getting dinner.

The key to the Supermobile was lost and then found as the Babu and the boys got post-school snacks. George missed Mandarin class, and the library books are now late.

I thought that I would write this blog today during my six hours in the Batcave, but the first day of chemotherapy brought well-intentioned social workers, condescending nutritionists with Gerber grins, overworked nurses and pregnant doctors (well, one). I had them all in a tizzy because I thought I was supposed to get an additional drug 5FU and take a pump home. I still might, but no pump this week.

Tom was unable to come. He has a terrible case of Poison Oak, which has caused his eyes to swell up so that, at first, he could hardly see. He hates pulling up a chair two feet from me and watching me be infused, but he comes if I need him.

Oddly, I felt I could handle it. Even the much-lived port poke. Mom offered to come and stayed dutifully by my side. I even let her leave me alone to pick the boys up from school (though I do suppose they did need to be picked up).

With no class from which to race home, we ate our dinner early (looking over the platter they yelled for "pink" and "striped".) Cole, who was excused first, and Adeline, who was not excused at all, ran upstairs. They then descended with fresh, clean mattress covers on top of them hollowing like ghosts. "I'm a good ghost," Adeline said, pulling the mattress cover to the side to see the stairs. "I'm a bad one," laughed Cole. And ran to scare me.

I did a fake scream. He struggled to take his cover off and handed me a cowboy boot. "I'm actually a good ghost." "Whew," I said. "What's with the boot?" I picked it up and pretended to look in... "Is there a ghost in there?" I asked spookily. "No," answered Cole. "There are green beans," and poured them out. Actually they were edamame. And there were three.

"It's a ghost party!" he laughed. "Hooray," said Tom. "Hooray," said Babu. "Can I be excuse?" asked Adeline.

Comments

[George Shuput]

Thank you for keeping us updated Coley. Hopefully this round of chemo will eliminate the cancer and keep it away forever. Sorry to hear about Tom's poison oak, I hope he is better soon.

[Lilo]

Hooray, indeed! Thinking of you every day. Our little one just poked up his first tooth.