Chapter 5
As Time Goes By
It has been a month since Lisa had begun treatment for Glioblastoma, and today Bart and Lisa are out on the town, they had a day off from school, and it was a day when Lisa didn't need to go to the hospital for treatment. So Bart had decided to take Lisa out on the town; at first, Marge was against it due to Lisa's condition, especially as she wouldn't be able to go with them. Still, Bart and Lisa had reminded her that Lisa needed to live as normal a life as possible. So here Bart and Lisa were getting off the bus in town.
"So Bart, what do you have planned?" Lisa asks her brother, curious as to what he plans to do today.
"Well, I was thinking we hit the arcade, then grab a bite to eat before catching a film." Bart says, explaining what he had planned for the day.
Lisa nodded in acceptance; it sounded fun, something she could do with.
The pair enter the Noiseland Arcade and get some tokens to play on the machines. Lisa goes to one of the few educational arcade games in the arcade, while Bart goes to a racing game. The siblings play on various devices, including playing air hockey against each other. Eventually, the pair grow hungry, so Bart and Lisa go to Vesuvius Pizza. There Lisa orders a vegetarian pizza topped with roasted red peppers, baby spinach, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, and black olives, with a sprinkling of garlic herb seasoning. Bart just orders a pepperoni pizza.
"So, what film do you want to see?" Bart asks his sister while they wait for their food to arrive.
Lisa ponders Bart's question for a moment, thinking about which films are currently being shown in the Aztec Theatre. Eventually, one comes to her mind.
"I would like to see the July Crisis." Lisa says, finally answering Bart's question.
"What's it about?" Bart asks, hoping it would be an action or disaster movie.
"It's a historical drama about the period between the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the outbreak of World War 1." Lisa enthusiastically explains.
"Aw, jeez." Bart sighs in disappointment.
"The film stars Christoph Waltz Kaiser Wilhelm 2nd, Mark Strong as Emperor Franz Josef, Benedict Cumberbatch as Tsar Nicholas 2nd, Kenneth Branagh as Prime Minister Herbert Asquith, Lambert Wilson as President Raymond Poincare and George MacKay as Gavrilo Princip." Lisa continues, seemingly oblivious to Bart's disappointment.
Bart couldn't help but smile at Lisa's enthusiasm; she had been so distraught since her cancer diagnosis, and it was difficult to get her to smile and be enthusiastic about things. Something which Bart had genuinely missed, and even if it meant watching a boring historical drama, it was worth it to see her smile.
(X X X)
Two weeks later, Principal Skinner is holding an early morning staff meeting at Springfield Elementary.
"Ok, folks, before we begin, I want an update on how well Lisa has been doing since her diagnosis and any problems she has faced." Skinner says, starting the meeting.
"Lisa is still the top student in her grade and still gets excellent marks on all her work, she does sometimes rub her temples when she's focusing hard, but she doesn't complain about pain. I've received no reports of any incidents involving her; she mostly hangs around with Janey, her brother, and a few others." Ms Hoover says, giving her report.
"She still participates in the band and still tries to play her style of music rather than what I want her to play." Mr Lago says, a little annoyed at that fact.
"Weel, mebbe ye shid try an' let them be creative wi' their muisic, insteid o' makin' them play that borin' drek." Willie says to Mr Largo.
"Why you..." Mr Largo says, standing up and intending to fight the Scotsman.
"Enough, you two; this isn't a place for fighting." Skinner says with a raised voice.
This makes Mr Largo sit back down and makes Willie huff in annoyance.
"Now I'm happy that Lisa's doing well, so on to the next topic of this meeting." Skinner says, intending to move onto the next topic, only to be interrupted by Rayshell Peyton.
"Just a moment, Seymour; I would like to talk about Bart." Rayshell states.
Skinner mumbles something which sounds suspiciously like, "I knew it was too good to be true." before he turns to Rayshell.
"So what has that boy done now?" Skinner asks with resignation.
"He hasn't done anything, at least nothing wrong; it's just since this situation with Lisa began that Bart has been getting straight A's." Rayshell explains this to the shock of many faculty members, except for Skinner.
"So he's going through one of those phases." Skinner says contemplatively.
"What phases?" Rayshell asks, confused since she is new to Springfield Elementary, she is unaware of Bart's phases.
"Bart Simpson is normally a troublemaker who skates by with F's and D-'s, but on the rare occasion, he goes through phases where his behaviour not only picks up but so do his grades. Examples include when he was made a Hall Monitor, that time, I wiped the slate clean for every student and would only take the best on a trip to a nuclear submarine; there were a few days when he was under the impression that Edna Krabapple was talking about him in her diary. There are, of course, other instances of him going through these phases, but he always reverts to his previous behaviour and school work." Skinner explains to Rayshell.
"I see." Rayshell says.
"Don't worry, once Lisa is in remission; I'm sure that the old Bart will return; I admit that while I prefer Bart behaving and getting good grades, it is a little disconcerting to see him act so well." Skinner says reassuringly to Rayshell.
"Somehow, Seymour, I doubt Bart will be reverting this time." Rayshell states optimistic about her assumption.
(X X X)
Two weeks later, Lisa is again out of the house, but this time it's Janey taking her out to Jazzy Goodtime's. The pair enter the establishment, and the sounds of Jazz music enter their ears. They walk over to an empty table and are soon approached by a waiter.
"What's up, hepcats what food would you like?" The waiter asks.
"I'll have a vegetarian omelette." Lisa answers almost immediately.
"A ham and cheese omelette, please." Janey answers after perusing the menu for a bit.
"Any drinks?" The waiter asks after writing down their orders.
"Soda." Both girls answer simultaneously.
"Right on, I'll be back with your drinks soon." The waiter says, leaving for the kitchen.
Lisa and Janey then turn to each other to engage in conversation, but they are interrupted by a loud yell before they can. "Hi, Lisa!"
The two girls turn to the source of the yell and see Milhouse, along with Martin, Ralph, Uter and Database. Martin, Uter and Database look uncomfortable since Milhouse's yell had earned the group of boys a few looks of annoyance from the other patrons, and even from the band currently playing. Milhouse and Ralph, however, are oblivious to the faces of contempt; Milhouse because he is solely focused on Lisa and Ralph because he's fiddling with his tambourine.
"Milhouse, what are you doing here? And why did you have to yell like that?" Lisa asks, a bit annoyed with the blue-haired boy.
"Oh, I thought I'd come down and jam with my crew. Right, fellas." Milhouse says, turning to the other boys, who all nod in agreement, though their body language suggests they were coerced into coming. Milhouse also ignores Lisa's second question.
In truth, Milhouse had learned that Janey was taking Lisa to Jazzy Goodtime's and had coerced Martin, Ralph, Uter and Database into coming along with him, so that he could serenade his 'sweetheart'. The blue-haired kid could be quite intimidating when he wanted to be. Who knew?
The band on stage finish playing their set, so Milhouse takes his group up to the stage just as the waiter arrives with Lisa's and Janey's drinks.
On the stage, Martin goes over to the piano, Ralph gets out his tambourine, Uter gets out his Trumpet, Database takes out his Cello, and Milhouse takes out a Saxophone, much to the surprise and slight discomfort of Lisa.
Milhouse hands each of the boys a sheet of paper, indicating they would be playing a song that Milhouse had composed himself. This makes Lisa and Janey look at each other in unease since Milhouse wasn't much of a singer nor a good composer. The other boys, sans Ralph, looked uneasy at Milhouse's composition.
Verse 1:
"She walks in grace, with a smile on her face
Lisa Marie Simpson, her beauty can't be erased
But her heart's been aching for far too long
Struggling with cancer, she tries to stay strong."
Chorus:
"Oh, Lisa Marie Simpson, you are the light
In this world so dark, you shine so brightly
You may be hurting, but you're not alone
We'll be here for you, until you're fully grown."
Verse 2:
"Life can be tough and unfair at times
But with your strength and courage, you'll always shine
With every beat of the piano and every note of the sax
Your spirit is lifted as we watch you relax."
Chorus:
"Oh, Lisa Marie Simpson, you are the light
In this world so dark, you shine so brightly
You may be hurting, but you're not alone
We'll be here for you, until you're fully grown."
Bridge:
"We know the road ahead is tough, but we'll hold your hand
Through every storm, we'll help you stand
And as the trumpet plays and the cello sings
We'll remind you of the love that this moment brings"
Chorus:
"Oh, Lisa Marie Simpson, you are the light
In this world so dark, you shine so brightly
You may be hurting, but you're not alone
We'll be here for you, until you're fully grown."
Outro:
"With every breath, we'll pray for you
And every song will be a tribute to you
Lisa Marie Simpson, you're a fighter; it's true
And we'll always love you, through and through."
Milhouse finishes singing, much to the relief of the patrons, due to not only Milhouse's off-key singing but also the terrible music playing. Martin, Uter and Database look down in shame for having played such lousy music.
"How was that, Lisa?" Milhouse asks, hoping Lisa liked the song he had composed with a little AI assistance.
"The lyrics were good-" Lisa nervously answers- "About the only good thing about that performance." Lisa then mutters so only Janey can hear her, getting a chuckle from her.
"See, I told you guys that she would like it." Milhouse says excitedly to Martin, Uter and Database, getting an eye-roll from the three boys.
"I'm a musician." Ralph says happily while still playing the tambourine.
(X X X)
A month later, Marge and Lisa are sitting in Doctor Hibbert's office. Opposite them are Dr Hibbert and Dr Mitchell. Both Doctors have bleak faces, making Marge and Lisa uneasy.
"Marge, Lisa, I'm afraid I have some terrible news. It would seem that the treatment for your Glioblastoma has been ineffective." Dr Hibbert says as gently as he can while dropping a bombshell that will have a lasting effect on the Simpson family.