Series: The Laws of Opposite Attract Series by Vi Keeland
Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 98878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 494(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 494(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
There was no better way to make use of my time today than to visit a special young girl, who seemed in desperate need of company. Ashlyn was twelve and currently undergoing treatment for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Her big, beautiful eyes stood out against her perfectly smooth bald head.
We spent the better part of an hour talking about reality TV and music until a nurse interrupted to check her vitals. I took out my phone and scanned messages to give them as much privacy as I could while being in the room. But I felt Ashlyn eyeing me the whole time.
“You’re really beautiful,” she said after the nurse walked out.
“Why, thank you.”
“I hope I have hair like yours when it grows back.”
“What did your hair look like before?”
“It was curly, but I’m hoping it grows back straight.”
I wasn’t going to burst her bubble and tell her I’d actually heard that the opposite happened sometimes after chemo—previously straight hair grew back curly. Maybe she’d get lucky. She certainly deserved it.
Ashlyn adjusted her blanket. “Are you doing anything fun tonight?”
A vision of Brayden popped into my head. “I’m not sure, actually. I might be meeting a friend for dinner.”
“Is it a girl?”
“Actually, no. It’s a…boy.” I chuckled. Brayden was technically a boy in my mind, I supposed.
“Make sure you wear a pretty dress.”
I looked down at my black pants and white cowl-neck sweater. “You don’t like my outfit?”
“It’s okay, but if I were going out tonight, I’d put on a pretty dress.”
“Well, I’ll tell you what, I’ll put on a pretty dress for you.”
“Pink,” she clarified.
“Pink?” My eyes widened. “I don’t generally wear—”
“Pink! It has to be pink.” She laughed. “Wear a pink dress for me. Because I’m stuck here and can’t.”
When she put it that way, how could I not? I nodded. “A pink dress it is. You got it.”
She pointed her finger at me. “Pictures or it didn’t happen.”
“Okay.”
“You need pretty shoes, too.”
This little angel wanted to live vicariously through me. I took a deep breath. “What might these shoes look like?”
“They have to be glass, like Cinderella shoes.”
“Pretty sure glass slippers don’t really exist, but maybe I can find something that looks clear. Would that work?”
She nodded. “That would be acceptable.”
“Okay, good.” I sighed. “Well, you’ve left me with a lot to do this afternoon. Find a pink dress and glass-like shoes. So I’d better be on my way.” I stood.
“Text me a photo later?” she asked.
“Do you have a phone?”
“Duh!” She reached over to her side table and waved a cell in a pink silicone case.
“Okay. Sorry for doubting that.” I handed her my phone. “Enter your number here, and I’ll text you later.”
She took my phone, pressed some buttons, and handed it back. “Thanks, Alex.”
“I’ll be in touch,” I said before exiting her room.
As I walked down the hall, a new appreciation for life nearly overwhelmed me. Last week I’d been lamenting my wrinkles, and this poor girl just wanted to be able to leave this building and get back to her life. It’s a blessing to be healthy and to get older, I reminded myself—something many of these kids might not get to experience. I would pray every day for Ashlyn’s recovery.
My chest felt heavy as I continued walking. I stopped in my tracks when I spotted Brayden inside one of the rooms. He was talking to a boy and had on a volunteer badge like mine. I guess he and I both had the same idea today. He didn’t seem to have noticed me standing just outside the door, so I listened to what he was saying.
“I got this for you.” Brayden presented the kid with a box.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a bunch of books I took from my old room. I got them the last time I was home visiting my dad in Pennsylvania.”
The boy read the title. “The Chronicles of Narnia?”
“Yup. It’s this really cool adventure series. When I was younger and going through a tough time, I escaped into this world and never looked back.”
“You think I’ll like it?”
“I hope so. They made movies from the books, too.”
“What is it about?”
“Well…” Brayden scratched his chin. “There are these kids. They were evacuated to the countryside of England during World War Two. They find themselves in an imaginary kingdom known as Narnia. There’s this talking lion and an evil witch. You’ll have to read it, but I’ll be curious to know what you think.”
“Thanks!” The kid ran his hand along the books. “I’ll start tonight so I can get them back to you.”
“These books are really special to me. But so are you, so I’m gifting them to you.”
“You don’t want them back?”
“Nah.” Brayden held his hand up. “You keep them. Gift them to a friend when you’re done.” He suddenly turned to find me standing at the doorway. His eyes lit up. “Hey, you.”