something about love
Something About Love
Kevin was a soft-spoken boy. He didn't like to socialize or make friends, he was
too afraid of being turned away. Kevin went through life like a shadow, silent
and unnoticed. He likes to be this way. He was safer that way. Kevin' mother
like to drink. She drank to ignore the fact that Kevin's father liked to keep
lovers. He was always gone. Kevin had a younger sister named Samantha. Samantha
had many friends. Mommy and daddy always remembered Samantha's birthday. Mom and
dad sometimes forgot that Kevin existed. This did not make him sad though. If
they noticed him, they might have expectations of him, want him to do things
like they did Samantha. Kevin loved Samantha, she was the only one who cared
that he was there, wanted him to be there. Samantha was sick, she was always
sick. She went to an all girls' school and made friends with other boys outside
of school. No one knew that Samantha was sicker then she seemed, no one except
Kevin. Kevin did not tell anyone for Samantha did not want to worry Mommy and
Daddy. Sometimes she would cough and blood would come out. He wanted to tell mom
and dad but Samantha did not want to tell. She did not want to make them cry
more then they already had.
One day when Kevin and Samantha were at school something happened. Samantha was
running in gym, playing basketball with her friends, and her heart stopped for
just a moment and she fell to the floor unconscious. She had been sickly and
pale for many days but insisted on going to school. They sent her home where a
doctor came to see her. She was unconscious. Mommy and Daddy knew that she had a
heart problem but they did not know that it was failing its host. Soon it would
tire out and stop. The doctor told them this. When Kevin came home from school
he went to see Samantha. She was not there. No one bothered to tell him that she
had been sent to the hospital. He sat in his house and waited for someone to
come home. When no one did he made dinner and then went to sleep. In the middle
of the night the phone rang. He answered it to find that it was his father. He
seemed frantic and told him to go to the hospital. Kevin did not understand but
he went, riding his bike down the long driveway of his home to the hospital
which was an hour away. He did not mind riding his bike for that long. He did it
often enough.
Once he arrived at the hospital, they brought him to a room but stopped before
he could enter. The doctor was speaking to his parents. He could see the outline
of his mother's nose and it seemed redder then usual. Had she been crying?
"Her blood type is very rare. We don't have any heart donors in this are with
that blood type."
"Where do they have one?"
"We're searching now."
Kevin stood and listened. The nurse who had brought him had gone. It was just
him standing alone in a hallway contemplating the possible death of his sister.
This person, this heart donor, would give their life for a stranger, someone
they had never met. Who could be so selfless? Who would give their life for a
stranger? He imagined her dead and her cold body sitting in a pretty box to be
lowered six feet into the ground. The thought horrified him. She would not die.
He would rather have himself in that position then her.
He would rather be the cold body lying in the pretty box.
Kevin walked into the office of the doctor and stood before him, a small and
silent boy. He opened his mouth to speak the most difficult words in his life.
"I can donate my heart."
Mom and Dad looked at him in amazement. They moved to scold him for not taking
the situation seriously but he was serious. He would give his heart to her, have
his heart beating in her chest and to have her blood flow through his veins. He
would give her his life and have it breath life into her. Such was love. There
was not much protest. He knew that he would not be missed. After many tests, he
was shown to be a perfect match. It seemed to him as though he had been placed
on the planet for the sole purpose of giving her his heart. He would gladly give
it. That night the doctors prepared for the operation. He felt no fear but
waited by Samantha's side. During the operation the cuts were smooth, he did not
feel a thing. He had courage and braved the onslaught of death and waited as he
took his last breath. Then it was over. She had lived and would live in exchange
for another's breath.
His funeral was a small one. The doctor was there to honor the courageous boy
who had given his life in the name of love. Samantha stood beside his casket and
it's open lid looking down at his body. She laid a hand on his crossed hands and
they were not cold. He seemed only asleep and at peace. By some form of magic
she could see past the folds of his shirt to the scar, the stitched cuts were
underneath a heart had once been. Those stitches and that scar were a symbol, a
sign of his courage and his selfless love. She smiled holding back the tears and
brought her hand to his heart beating peacefully beneath her chest. There lay
the same scar. She too carried a sign of courage, a battle scar salvaged from
the war. She watched the pretty box being lowered to the ground and stayed to
see the earth brought over it. A leaf dropped into the last patch of wood and
then dirt covered his body. She touched his tombstone and walked away.
close
Something About Love
Kevin was a soft-spoken boy. He didn't like to socialize or make friends, he was
too afraid of being turned away. Kevin went through life like a shadow, silent
and unnoticed. He likes to be this way. He was safer that way. Kevin' mother
like to drink. She drank to ignore the fact that Kevin's father liked to keep
lovers. He was always gone. Kevin had a younger sister named Samantha. Samantha
had many friends. Mommy and daddy always remembered Samantha's birthday. Mom and
dad sometimes forgot that Kevin existed. This did not make him sad though. If
they noticed him, they might have expectations of him, want him to do things
like they did Samantha. Kevin loved Samantha, she was the only one who cared
that he was there, wanted him to be there. Samantha was sick, she was always
sick. She went to an all girls' school and made friends with other boys outside
of school. No one knew that Samantha was sicker then she seemed, no one except
Kevin. Kevin did not tell anyone for Samantha did not want to worry Mommy and
Daddy. Sometimes she would cough and blood would come out. He wanted to tell mom
and dad but Samantha did not want to tell. She did not want to make them cry
more then they already had.
One day when Kevin and Samantha were at school something happened. Samantha was
running in gym, playing basketball with her friends, and her heart stopped for
just a moment and she fell to the floor unconscious. She had been sickly and
pale for many days but insisted on going to school. They sent her home where a
doctor came to see her. She was unconscious. Mommy and Daddy knew that she had a
heart problem but they did not know that it was failing its host. Soon it would
tire out and stop. The doctor told them this. When Kevin came home from school
he went to see Samantha. She was not there. No one bothered to tell him that she
had been sent to the hospital. He sat in his house and waited for someone to
come home. When no one did he made dinner and then went to sleep. In the middle
of the night the phone rang. He answered it to find that it was his father. He
seemed frantic and told him to go to the hospital. Kevin did not understand but
he went, riding his bike down the long driveway of his home to the hospital
which was an hour away. He did not mind riding his bike for that long. He did it
often enough.
Once he arrived at the hospital, they brought him to a room but stopped before
he could enter. The doctor was speaking to his parents. He could see the outline
of his mother's nose and it seemed redder then usual. Had she been crying?
"Her blood type is very rare. We don't have any heart donors in this are with
that blood type."
"Where do they have one?"
"We're searching now."
Kevin stood and listened. The nurse who had brought him had gone. It was just
him standing alone in a hallway contemplating the possible death of his sister.
This person, this heart donor, would give their life for a stranger, someone
they had never met. Who could be so selfless? Who would give their life for a
stranger? He imagined her dead and her cold body sitting in a pretty box to be
lowered six feet into the ground. The thought horrified him. She would not die.
He would rather have himself in that position then her.
He would rather be the cold body lying in the pretty box.
Kevin walked into the office of the doctor and stood before him, a small and
silent boy. He opened his mouth to speak the most difficult words in his life.
"I can donate my heart."
Mom and Dad looked at him in amazement. They moved to scold him for not taking
the situation seriously but he was serious. He would give his heart to her, have
his heart beating in her chest and to have her blood flow through his veins. He
would give her his life and have it breath life into her. Such was love. There
was not much protest. He knew that he would not be missed. After many tests, he
was shown to be a perfect match. It seemed to him as though he had been placed
on the planet for the sole purpose of giving her his heart. He would gladly give
it. That night the doctors prepared for the operation. He felt no fear but
waited by Samantha's side. During the operation the cuts were smooth, he did not
feel a thing. He had courage and braved the onslaught of death and waited as he
took his last breath. Then it was over. She had lived and would live in exchange
for another's breath.
His funeral was a small one. The doctor was there to honor the courageous boy
who had given his life in the name of love. Samantha stood beside his casket and
it's open lid looking down at his body. She laid a hand on his crossed hands and
they were not cold. He seemed only asleep and at peace. By some form of magic
she could see past the folds of his shirt to the scar, the stitched cuts were
underneath a heart had once been. Those stitches and that scar were a symbol, a
sign of his courage and his selfless love. She smiled holding back the tears and
brought her hand to his heart beating peacefully beneath her chest. There lay
the same scar. She too carried a sign of courage, a battle scar salvaged from
the war. She watched the pretty box being lowered to the ground and stayed to
see the earth brought over it. A leaf dropped into the last patch of wood and
then dirt covered his body. She touched his tombstone and walked away.
close