“Mrs. Gaylon, I’m afraid that I have some bad news for you.”
Doesn’t he know that there’s a fly on his glasses? It’s just sitting there, even when he moves his head around.
“The cancer has spread into the lymph nodes.”
Maybe it’s his pet. Why couldn’t you train a fly to sit on your glasses? I remember seeing trained fleas in a circus when I was a little girl. I wanted to have my own circus and tried to find some fleas to train, then I found out the truth. The circus trainers would make a harness out of a thin gold wire and wrap it around the necks of the fleas and then attach them to props. The fleas used their strong legs to try to escape, moving the objects around.
“We need to be aggressive and stop it from spreading.”
Most fleas only live a few months. After spending their lives tied in a harness moving a cart around or kicking a ball, they die. I wonder if they got any satisfaction out of ‘performing,’ in the circus or would have preferred to live an ordinary life.
“It’s possible that with chemotherapy we could slow the progression of the cancer.”
A fly only lives for about a month. It seems like a waste of time to train a fly and then have it die after only a month. Maybe he’s found a way to keep them alive longer. Now it’s on top of his head. That proves that it’s his pet, he has to feel it walking around up there.
“Worst case scenario, if you choose not to do anything, you’ll only have a few months to live.”
There are probably worst ways to waste your time. Like spending thirteen years in a bad marriage, telling yourself that it’s for the kids, or that things will eventually get better. But it’s really because you don’t deserve to be happy.
“I recommend that you take some time to think about it, talk to your husband, and then call the office and set up an appointment. We should begin the treatment as soon as possible. Do you have any questions for me?”
What other tricks can your pet fly do? Have you always had pet flies, or is this your first one? Have you ever tried training fleas or thought about having a flea circus? Will you be sad when your pet dies?
“I know that this is a lot to deal with, I want you to stay positive. There are support groups that will help you get through this.”
It flew away when he stood up. Maybe it wasn’t his pet. I need to get going; I’ve got a lot of things to do before the kids get out of school. Did I grab the grocery list off of the counter? Oh, there it is. OK, I’ve got my keys, now where did I park? Did I drive the van here, or the car? That’s right, Roger needed the van to pick up some plywood after work. I should call Susan and see if she can go to lunch with me today. We haven’t talked in a while; I need to see how her new job is going. I’ve wanted to try that new restaurant that opened last week. I’ve got so much to do. There’s never enough time.
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