For my wonderful grandma, I will never forget you.
''Belle's gonna be late for breakfast if she doesn't hurry up,'' Tiana said.
''I don't think she's coming out of her room today,'' Ariel said.
''Is she sick,'' Rapunzel asked worried.
''No but we better not disturb her.''
''But we have school today,'' Esmeralda said.
''She's probably excused from school today,'' Ariel said.
''How long do you think Jasmine will sulk over Aladdin?'' Tiana wondered.
''I don't know,'' Esmeralda said, ''but she can't stay mad at him forever, as far as we know he could have seen her as a friend from the start.''
Belle went to the cafeteria for breakfast when everyone else had gone to class. When she returned to her room she lit the candle which stood before her mother's picture, ''happy birthday mom.''
Belle thought back to when she first heard her mother was sick, she would soon start middle school and she just returned from the school with her father and was very excited about it when she saw her aunt Caressa standing in the garden. ''what's aunt Caressa doing here?'' Belle wondered.
''Belle, why don't you put the bike's away,'' her aunt said. ''She needs to tell you something,'' she whispered to Belle's father. Belle knew that something was going on and that aunt Caressa didn't want her to know.
''Why don't you show your mother and aunt the pictures that you took today,'' her father said when she came into the house, Belle saw that her parents looked worried?
Enthusiastically Belle talked about her new school. ''It looks like a nice school,'' Belle's mother smiled, ''why don't you go put the photos on your computer.''
Belle walked upstairs to her room, she knew that she was being sent to her room like a small child. She was twelve, she had a right to know. Out of spit she ate a whole chocolate bar even though she planned to throw it out because she didn't think it tasted that great.
During dinner her parents ate in silence, ''alright what's going on, I know something's up.''
''Belle, her father said, ''you know your mother had a doctor's appointment today.''
''Yeah because of a broken midriff, so?''
''It's not a broken midriff, it's more serious than that.''
''What is it?''
''They think I have esophagus cancer,'' Belle's mother said.
''Cancer?''
''Yes honey,'' Belle started crying. ''come here, sit on my lap. Listen to me Belle they're not sure yet, they're gonna do some more tests first.''
''But they wouldn't say it at this point unless they were fairly certain. Now I wish that my new books had already arrived.''
''Belle,'' her father said.
''It's so that you can distract yourself,'' her mother said understanding.
Belle nodded her head, ''maybe I'll go to my room.'' In her room Belle called her friend Elaine but she said she was eating and asked if she could call her back.
Belle waited for about an hour before going to the library. When she came back Elaine still hadn't called so Belle called her again. ''Sorry I forgot to call you I got busy with school but why did you call?''
''They think my mom has cancer.''
''I don't know what to say about this.'' They talked for a bit more.
The next day aunt Caressa took her out for some shopping before school. Then later when she was at school they talked about the tests they had the previous week. Belle was wondering what she was doing there, what the point of it all was.
When it was confirmed that her mother had cancer Belle bought a teddy bear for her with the text 'I love you' so her mother wouldn't be lonely in the hospital. The day before mother's day Belle was shopping with her aunt when she found a glass figurine of a pixie and she bought it for her mother because she knew that she wanted something like that. ''Should I give it to her tomorrow?''
''You already have a great mother's day gift for her, give it to her when she comes out of the hospital.''
Belle's mother was only allowed to eat fluid but she still cooked normally for Belle and her father. ''Would you help me with dinner tonight Belle? I want you to learn how to cook for you know… your father always forgets things like that and your aunt can't help out all the time.''
''Of course mom I'd love to help, so what's for dinner?''
''Potatoes with beef and pea's for you and your father and for me mmm, mashed potatoes with applesauce.''
''You hate eating this, don't you mom?''
''Yes, as soon as I can eat normal again I'm gonna eat a tarte tatin with meat on the side.''
''What kind of meat?''
''Doesn't matter as long as it's meat.''
''I'm out of here,'' Belle's father said, ''before I become dinner.''
Mother and daughter laughed. ''It's strange how you miss those little things when you can't have it anymore, there's some cheesecake for you and your father in the fridge.''
''Mom.''
''What? Just because I can't have it shouldn't mean that you can't have it either, life's too short for that.''
''You can get discount tickets for the zoo in Antwerp now, remember you said we would go there together.''
I know honey but I'm too tired for it, let's save it for when I come back from the hospital. But don't worry I wouldn't miss your musical for the world.''
''I love you mom.''
''I love you to, you mean everything to me and don't you ever forget that.''
Belle was startled in her thoughts by a knock on her door. ''Come in,'' she called.
Jane opened the door she had a tray with food in hands. ''I thought you might be hungry so I brought you something to eat.'' Jane put the tray down and looked at the picture of Belle's mother. ''She was a beautiful woman, you look like her.''
Belle smiled weakly, ''thank you.''
''Well I must be going now, miss Tremaine is refusing Tarzan in her classroom, claiming he's some sort of ape-man who doesn't understand basic English.''
Jane walked out the door and walked right into Tarzan. ''Oh I'm sorry Tarzan,'' the she noticed the locket he was carrying, '' It's very nice.''
''It's very nice,'' Tarzan repeated a little bit unsure just as Jane was fiddling with her hair.
''Oh thank you, I can't do a thing with it in this humidity though, it's... Oh, you do speak! And all this time I thought you were just a big wild quiet silent person, thing. Why didn't you tell me, I mean I must seem rather curious to you, I mean I'd love to...''
Tarzan interrupted her by putting his hand gently on her mouth, the he gestured to himself, ''tar-zan,'' he said slowly.
''Tarzan?'' Jane repeated not understanding at first, '' Oh, I see.''
''Oh, I see. Tarzan, Ohisee,'' Tarzan said first gesturing to himself and then to Jane.
''No no no, no. I'm Jane.''
''No no no, no. I'm Jane.''
'' No, no. Jane, Tarzan, Jane.'' Jane said gesturing in the hope to make it clear.
''Jane.''
''Exactly, maybe I should help you with your English.''
The day before the operation Belle got her birthday gift from her mother. ''mom why don't you just give it to me on my actual birthday?''
''I may not have the chance for it then and I wanted to make sure that you got it, now open up.''
Belle opened her present and saw that it was the new book she wanted.''
''Thank you mom.''
''Anything for you darling, now hurry up your aunt is waiting for you.''
Belle walked to her aunt house but on her way there she started to cry finally admitting for the first time that her mother could die because of the cancer.
The operation went well and the doctor's said that Belle's mother was clean of the cancer. But even so Belle's mother didn't get better and spent most of the time on the ICU. Belle didn't like to visit her mother that much because she wanted to think about it as less as possible and didn't want to see her mother like that. Her mother chanced in the hospital and was no longer the mother that Belle knew.
Belle visited her mother on her own birthday and jokingly said she got old junk from an uncle who gave her some collector's dolls he didn't want anymore for her birthday. Her mother smiled at that at it would forever remain a nice memory for Belle that she was able to make her mother smile if only for a little while.
Belle's mother got worse and worse and when they found out that they had put her mother on Hemodialysis against her wishes her aunt went to the hospital to talk about withdrawal if treatment. At that moment Belle didn't know what to wish for anymore she wanted to keep her mother alive but also didn't want her mother to suffer. She felt so selfish at that moment. When a withdrawal of treatment was decided upon Belle decided against saying goodbye to her mother wanting to remember her how she was before she got sick.
That night Belle couldn't sleep and suddenly she remembered that she still had the glass figurine Belle ran out of her room and she would only calm down when her aunt promised her to deliver the figurine first thing in the morning. Belle decided that she would attach a letter to it to say goodbye to her mother and tell her how much she loved her.
Later that night around three o'clock Belle woke up and heard some noise, Belle wanted to know what was going n but was also afraid of what it could be. Finally Belle decided to go to the bathroom and ask about it when she came back. But Belle didn't need to ask when she came out of the bathroom her aunt walked up the stairs. ''Your father just called, your mother died I'm going to the hospital now you should go back to sleep.''
''I can't I know for sure that I won't be able to sleep.'' So Belle grabbed a blanket and went to sit on the couch in the living room and put on her favorite movie while hugging her favorite plush. When the movie was finished and her aunt and father came home she was told again she should try to sleep but instead Belle finished the new book she was reading which was a bit comforting because it was the last in a series about immortality but the message of the book was that our bodies perish but our soul is truly immortal. A little while after that Belle went to the mall to buy something pink for the funeral because that was her mother's favorite color and she was also hoping to avoid the minister that was coming over to talk about the cremation.
The plush that Belle had bought was cremated with her mother as decided by her aunt and Belle picked out one song for the cremation she wasn't strong enough to talk at the cremation.
When Belle was driving in the car with her aunt back from shopping for her new school and she heard the song big big world, Belle started crying. ''Mom should be here for this.''
''I know honey, and she would have been so proud of you.''
Belle was awakened from her thoughts when Adam came into her room. ''Don't you know how to knock.''
''I just came to check on you, you weren't in class and I thought you might be sick.''
''Well I'm not so go away.''
''Are you crying?''
''It's my mom's birthday.''
''I'm sorry about that. Do you really think this is the best way to deal with it to sit in your room the whole day? Is this the way your mother would want you to spent her birthday.''
''What do you know about it.''
''I lost a sister remember, and on her birthday I go do something fun because in know that's what she want me to do. Your mother would want you to celebrate live to life to its fullest.''
''Maybe your right, but want can I do here?''
''It's up to you want would you want to do.''
''Maybe I can bake tarte tatin, my mom loved baking and tarte tatin was her favorite it's sad that she never got to eat it again.'' And so Belle baked a tarte tatin with Adam and afterward they watched the favorite movie of Belle's mom.