What Do You Say, by Aisha Iwakura
Stuck at a red light outside an adult bookstore
His son said "Daddy what are all those X's for?"
As the light turned green he changed the subject fast
Started talking about football as they drove right past
Aisha stood on her front step, staring at her front door as if it held the answer to life. She looked down again and started fiddling with her purse. She'd just gotten back from the doctor's office and was scared stiff to break it to Duo that she had cancer and she had only a few months to live. Duo had forced her to go see a doctor ever since she started having dizzy spells, and even collapsed onto the kitchen floor right in the middle of making dinner. Aisha choked back a sob and a single tear fell down her cheek, followed by many more. She sucked in a big breath and grabbed the doorknob to go inside, when the door suddenly swung open and there stood Duo, a confused expression on his face when he saw her tears.
So what do you say in a moment like this
When you can't find the words to tell it like it is
Just bite your tongue and let your heart lead the way
Lets get out of here, oh what do you say
Aisha looked into her husband's face and just suddenly broke down crying, her knees buckling under her. Duo, confused as hell, caught her before she fell and held her to his chest. "Aisha, Honey, whats wrong?? What did the doctor say?" Aisha sniffled and glanced up at Duo, fresh tears in her eyes, threatening to spill over again. "I...I....I have cancer Duo. The doctor said I only have a few months to live." Duo felt like someone had grabbed him and hurled him into a brick wall. He looked down at Aisha and hugged her tighter, tears threatening to spill down his cheeks. This can't be happening... He led Aisha into the house, shutting the door behind him and he sat her down on the couch.
Seventeen years old she was out with her friends
They started drinking at some party 'till she was three sheets to the wind
Her momma always told her she could call no matter what
She was crying on the front steps when her mom showed up
Boys dont cry....boys dont cry.... He kept telling himself as the two sat there, in each others arms. Duo reached up and put a hand on her cheek, wiping away the tears still flooding down her cheeks. "What kind of cancer is it?" Aisha looked down, hating it when he saw her cry. "Its a colon cancer that eventually spreads to the brain. The doctor said I have exactly three months to live." Duo clenched his fists in his lap, fighting back the tears that made their way to his eyes. Aisha looked up at him, then to his white-knuckled fists in his lap. "Oh Duo.." She reached over and hugged him, her tears leaving small wet spots on his black shirt.
So what do you say in a moment like this
When you can't find the words to tell it like it is
Just bite your tongue and let your heart lead the way
Lets get out of here, oh what do you say
Aisha stepped into the bathroom that she and Duo shared. She turned on the water to the shower, and tested it. Seeing it was just right, she undressed, and slipped into the shower closing the curtain behind her. Her eyes looked down at her painfully thin form, and tears threatened to spill over. She grabbed the shampoo, poured some into the palm of her hand and started to massage it into her scalp. Aisha brought her hands down to rinse them and she noticed large clumps of damp hair in her hands. Her eyes widened as she felt her scalp, and more clumps of her hair fell out and landed on the bathtub floor with a sick 'plop' sound. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she stared at the clumps of her own hair lying on the floor. She wrapped her arms around her too-thin waist, and sat on the tub floor, sobbing.
Sometimes you gotta listen to the silence
And give yourself a little time to think
Aisha sat in her bedroom at 11:30 at night, getting ready to go to bed. She reached up to her hair and tugged at it, watching the wig slip off, revealing the bare skin underneath. She sighed and unshed tears sparkled in her eyes as she set the wig on the mannequin head sitting by the mirror. Duo walked in, wearing only boxers, and a toothbrush in his mouth. He looked at Aisha sitting at her mirror, staring at her reflection. He walked up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder, understanding what she was thinking about and what she was staring at. She looked up at Duo, and put her hand over his as the tears ran down her cheeks.
Her every breath is weaker than the last
And lately when she sleeps she talks about her past
Her husband knows she's tired of holding on
She looks at him and says, "I wanna go home"
Duo sat in the dimly lit hospital room, his fingers entertwined with Aisha's. Three months had passed and Duo knew her time was now. His hand traveled up and caressed her cheek as tears dripped onto his fingers. She smiled tiredly through her tears and squeezed Duo's hand, comfortingly. The heart monitor sitting beside her bed beeped and Aisha sighed, closing her eyes, and taking the last breath of her life. The heart monitor stopped beeping as Duo sat there, his fingers still locked with Aisha's. He looked at her pale face and he dropped his head, the tears traveling down his cheeks for the first time in his life.
What do you say in a moment like this
When you cant find the words to tell it like it is
Just close your eyes and let your heart lead the way
Oh what do you say
*End*