Triplets
Gabriel
Andy's such a fucking knob that I honestly can't understand why I still stand him after all these years. He's not even a decent mate half the time but I guess with a friend like me who spends most of his time gallivanting across the world, he has every right to be a shit mate. But it didn't mean that I had to like it when he is one or that I had to tolerate it.
So when he was a right prick at lunch today, I walked away and ignored him for the rest of the day and left school without so much as a word to him. I walked home alone and didn't bump into anyone, not even Julie who seemed to have a habit of walking the same way as me every day until we reached the end of my road and she made to go down the next road but as soon as I was halfway up my road, she'd turn around and go back the way we came because her house was in that direction. I will honestly never understand the girls that I go to school with.
I was still scowling about Andy when I got home but instead of being able to go upstairs and insult him via chat like I normally would, I got called in the sitting room by both my parents, a situation that told me something serious was going on. I didn't know what it could be but when I pushed the door to the sitting room open and walked into the room, it didn't appear to be good news because my dad looked worried while my mum was the one that didn't look any different than usual.
"What's up?" I asked, perching on the arm of the sofa I was closest to.
My dad ran a hand over his face. "There's no easy way to say this," he began and I immediately assumed the worst.
"No way, you are not getting a divorce. You can't do this to me. At least wait until I'm finished with high school and no longer under your roof because then I won't have to choose between the two of you because hell, if any of you guys made me try and choose between the two of you, you both know that you would lose me, right? 'Cos I wouldn't give up one of you guys for the other," I ranted, pointing towards them two seriously to show them that I was serious with the fact that I wouldn't choose between them because they were both my parents and I loved each of them.
My mum laughed. "Gabriel, we're not divorcing. You father and I still love eachother very much," she assured me.
"Well, good," I said curtly.
"But this is hard to say, and I want you to know that it's not life-threatening."
I stood from my seat and looked between them both. Life-threatening? The thoughts that went around my head were horrible but I didn't want to allow them before I knew the truth. "What's wrong?"
"Gabe, I have cancer," my mum admitted, breaking the news to me as gently as she could, although nothing could have prepared me for that.
I stumbled back onto the arm of the sofa and stared at her. Never would I have thought that anyone I knew would be able to get cancer, let alone it be my own mother. "You what," I breathed, still in shock.
"But it's okay. Like I said, it's not life-threatening," she began but I cut her off.
"It's okay?! It's not life-threatening? Mum, you have cancer!" I shouted, unable to control my emotions. "And you think cancer is okay?!"
She stood from her seat and came over to me, bringing me into a hug. "Shh, Gabe, it's okay. You're not going to lose me. I'm not going anywhere."
I had tears, I'm not going to lie. She was my mother and she'd told me she had cancer, an illness that could take her away when I'm not even an adult. I was scared for her as well, and also scared for myself because I didn't know what I would do without my mother. I loved my dad as well and would have been as equally as scared if he'd been the one who had cancer.
"But listen to me now," she said, pulling away and making me look at her. "Your father and I have discussed about moving."
That was news. "Out of Kansas?"
"Out of America."
Sometimes I don't understand why my parents would decide things that they did, like this decision. After being diagnosed with something like cancer, wouldn't the best thing for us to do is stay put while she undergoes treatment? I voiced this to them and she nodded.
"Yes, it would be the best thing hypothetically, but it's time for us to leave Kansas. You remember our dual-citizenship?" she asked and I nodded. We were American-British because of the amount of times my parents had to go over to Britain for their work but I guess that occurred because that was where their company's international branch was, and even though we went to China and all sorts of place, that was mostly through the international branch rather than the home branch.
My dad had been sitting there while my mum had been talking but now he spoke up. "Neither of us want to leave our home but Britain is also our home and we feel that it's for the best if your mother was over there for her treatment," he said.
If she wanted her treatment done over there, that meant we'd need to move soon because she'd need to start it soon in my opinion, which probably meant that they'd been thinking of this for a while. "How long have you know about the cancer, mum?" I asked, sitting back on the arm of the chair.
"I've known about it for a while but before I told your father, I spoke to our doctor here and the doctor we're registered with over there. I discussed everything that I needed to know and then I told your father last week. Before I could break it to you, we had to discuss what this meant and whether we were ready to move, even if the motive behind it was a good cause. And I also had to think about how you'd take it."
I looked between her and my dad and then back to her. "And this is the best thing for you? Because, Mum, I don't know what I'd do if I lost you."
She smiled. "You're not going to get rid of me that easily, Gabriel," she said and I just chuckled.
So when he was a right prick at lunch today, I walked away and ignored him for the rest of the day and left school without so much as a word to him. I walked home alone and didn't bump into anyone, not even Julie who seemed to have a habit of walking the same way as me every day until we reached the end of my road and she made to go down the next road but as soon as I was halfway up my road, she'd turn around and go back the way we came because her house was in that direction. I will honestly never understand the girls that I go to school with.
I was still scowling about Andy when I got home but instead of being able to go upstairs and insult him via chat like I normally would, I got called in the sitting room by both my parents, a situation that told me something serious was going on. I didn't know what it could be but when I pushed the door to the sitting room open and walked into the room, it didn't appear to be good news because my dad looked worried while my mum was the one that didn't look any different than usual.
"What's up?" I asked, perching on the arm of the sofa I was closest to.
My dad ran a hand over his face. "There's no easy way to say this," he began and I immediately assumed the worst.
"No way, you are not getting a divorce. You can't do this to me. At least wait until I'm finished with high school and no longer under your roof because then I won't have to choose between the two of you because hell, if any of you guys made me try and choose between the two of you, you both know that you would lose me, right? 'Cos I wouldn't give up one of you guys for the other," I ranted, pointing towards them two seriously to show them that I was serious with the fact that I wouldn't choose between them because they were both my parents and I loved each of them.
My mum laughed. "Gabriel, we're not divorcing. You father and I still love eachother very much," she assured me.
"Well, good," I said curtly.
"But this is hard to say, and I want you to know that it's not life-threatening."
I stood from my seat and looked between them both. Life-threatening? The thoughts that went around my head were horrible but I didn't want to allow them before I knew the truth. "What's wrong?"
"Gabe, I have cancer," my mum admitted, breaking the news to me as gently as she could, although nothing could have prepared me for that.
I stumbled back onto the arm of the sofa and stared at her. Never would I have thought that anyone I knew would be able to get cancer, let alone it be my own mother. "You what," I breathed, still in shock.
"But it's okay. Like I said, it's not life-threatening," she began but I cut her off.
"It's okay?! It's not life-threatening? Mum, you have cancer!" I shouted, unable to control my emotions. "And you think cancer is okay?!"
She stood from her seat and came over to me, bringing me into a hug. "Shh, Gabe, it's okay. You're not going to lose me. I'm not going anywhere."
I had tears, I'm not going to lie. She was my mother and she'd told me she had cancer, an illness that could take her away when I'm not even an adult. I was scared for her as well, and also scared for myself because I didn't know what I would do without my mother. I loved my dad as well and would have been as equally as scared if he'd been the one who had cancer.
"But listen to me now," she said, pulling away and making me look at her. "Your father and I have discussed about moving."
That was news. "Out of Kansas?"
"Out of America."
Sometimes I don't understand why my parents would decide things that they did, like this decision. After being diagnosed with something like cancer, wouldn't the best thing for us to do is stay put while she undergoes treatment? I voiced this to them and she nodded.
"Yes, it would be the best thing hypothetically, but it's time for us to leave Kansas. You remember our dual-citizenship?" she asked and I nodded. We were American-British because of the amount of times my parents had to go over to Britain for their work but I guess that occurred because that was where their company's international branch was, and even though we went to China and all sorts of place, that was mostly through the international branch rather than the home branch.
My dad had been sitting there while my mum had been talking but now he spoke up. "Neither of us want to leave our home but Britain is also our home and we feel that it's for the best if your mother was over there for her treatment," he said.
If she wanted her treatment done over there, that meant we'd need to move soon because she'd need to start it soon in my opinion, which probably meant that they'd been thinking of this for a while. "How long have you know about the cancer, mum?" I asked, sitting back on the arm of the chair.
"I've known about it for a while but before I told your father, I spoke to our doctor here and the doctor we're registered with over there. I discussed everything that I needed to know and then I told your father last week. Before I could break it to you, we had to discuss what this meant and whether we were ready to move, even if the motive behind it was a good cause. And I also had to think about how you'd take it."
I looked between her and my dad and then back to her. "And this is the best thing for you? Because, Mum, I don't know what I'd do if I lost you."
She smiled. "You're not going to get rid of me that easily, Gabriel," she said and I just chuckled.