When Love Becomes a Cage (Melanie)

The next day, I texted Clyde's secretary, Gemma, to call in sick. I kept it vague, mentioning I had personal matters to attend to without diving into any details.

Gemma's response was brief, a simple "Okay," without further inquiry.

Being Merritt Patterson's right hand, Gemma was Clyde's most trusted assistant. So, getting her approval was as good as getting Clyde's.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

After the unpleasantness of the previous day, Clyde probably thought I was being petulant and throwing a tantrum. He didn't mince his words when he texted me, stating I was absent for not taking a leave and that I'd lose my perfect attendance bonus for the month.

After doing the math, the loss wasn't as painful as I thought, so I didn't fret much about it.

Jade was already waiting for me downstairs early in the morning, holding some sandwiches. "I know you're not feeling up to eating much, but you've got to try a bit. They say chemotherapy can take a toll on you."

With a look of concern, she watched as I took big bites of the sandwich, finally breathing a sigh of relief before driving me to the hospital.

I felt nervous during the chemotherapy, especially when I noticed a young girl with a bald head nearby. I instinctively grabbed Jade's hand tightly. Jade saw the girl, too, her eyes filled with limitless sympathy.

The girl's mom seemed to catch our gaze and gave a resigned smile. "People lose their hair during chemo. We decided to shave it off first rather than wait for it to all be gone."

The girl nodded vigorously. "Don't worry, miss. You can wear a wig. You can find many pretty ones at the wig shop behind the hospital."

She looked to be around seven or eight, blissfully unaware of the gravity of her situation, excitedly talking about the beautiful pigtails at the wig shop. Jade snorted, "Talk about a business opportunity. That shop must be making a fortune."

I nodded, smiling. "Yeah, let's check it out later."

Jade opened her mouth as if to say something but just nodded silently.

It wasn't until after my treatment that she spoke up. "Melanie, you're always the brightest star in my sky! I'll buy you the fanciest wig!" Seeing the tears in her eyes, I nodded vigorously. "I want the most expensive one. Or you could grow out your hair and make me a wig."

She touched her long hair and shook her head. "Spare my few strands, will you? I'd rather buy one."

We caught each other's eye and burst out laughing, the sadness we'd felt just moments before temporarily forgotten.

I didn't immediately feel sick from the chemo, which was a relief.

Passing by a barber shop, I asked Jade to stop. "I want to get a short haircut."

Jade looked at me in horror, but after I reassured her that it was only a haircut, she agreed to accompany me inside. My hair had grown since high school, only trimmed once a year.

"Are you sure you want to cut it short? It's such a pity," the barber asked for the third time, but I was determined. "Keep my hair, please. I want to make it into a wig. Your shop can arrange that, right?"

Being close to the hospital, the barber understood my situation and nodded sympathetically.

Jade turned away to wipe her tears secretly while I just smiled. It was just a haircut, not the end of the world.

The barber carefully cut and preserved my hair, offering encouragement and sharing stories of cancer survivors.

I knew that with proper care, my life wasn't necessarily at an end. I only wanted to live it fully for as long as I could.

Looking at my reflection, I

remembered when Clyde was with me for a haircut. He used to love my long hair saying he'd work hard sol could rely on him. It didn't matter. He didn't love me anymore, so whether my hair was long or short made no difference.

After the haircut, I felt refreshed, and even Jade seemed relieved. "Lucky for you. You can pull off any look. I bet you'd even look good bald."

I rolled my eyes. "You'll see my bald look soon enough."

She looked sad again, but I hugged her. "Don't worry. It's just hair. It'll grow back."

Clyde's call came through as we debated whether to eat beef steak or seafood.

"Melanie, did you think taking a day off would solve everything? I don't care where you are. Come back to work immediately!"