Page 69 of Fast Forward

“Yeah, fine. It’s nothing.” He shooed a hand towards us.

“It must be something,” I said.

“Ah, don’t worry. It’s your birthday, time to celebrate.” He rubbed his hands together and glanced around.

Okay, now I was worried. Max had never shown any emotion except happiness and complete confidence, but his eyes lacked their usual sparkle and his body appeared tense with apprehension. “Max, it’s okay, if something’s on your mind, you can share it with us.”

He wandered over to the campfire and warmed his hands, then sat down on the picnic rug which Kasey had ensured was close enough to the fire but not too close as to be a fire hazard. Sensing an important revelation was imminent, I sat next to him as Selena and Kasey joined us.

“I have to go to hospital on Monday,” he said. “I’ve been diagnosed with skin cancer. Melanoma.”

Holy crap. Stunned faces stared at Max and he tossed a stray stick onto the fire.

“Max, oh my God.” My hand covered my mouth, then rested on top of his forearm.

“Do you need us to come with you?” Selena asked and Kasey nodded, her radiant glow replaced with fierce concern.

“Thanks, but I’ll be fine. I’m having surgery and they’ll check if any of my lymph nodes are affected. Most likely I’ll need radiotherapy or chemotherapy, or both.” He ran a hand over his short hair. “Ah well, at least I won’t have much hair to lose, eh?” He attempted a laugh, but the mood remained sombre.

“If you don’t mind my asking, where is the actual melanoma?” Kasey asked and I shot her a “Kasey!” glance.

Max slipped off his left shoe and lifted his foot, exposing a small black lump on the underside, between his toes. “Can you believe it? Too much time lying on my back in the midday sun. Who thinks to put sunscreen on the soles of their feet, huh?”

Gosh. I never did. But I’d start, even if it did make my shoes all squelchy.

“It started to get itchy and that’s when I noticed it. I thought I had something stuck to my foot, but it wouldn’t come off, so I went to the doctor.”

“Max, I’m so sorry. If there’s anything I can do…”

“Thanks, Kel. I’ll take it one day at a time, but I’m sure I’ll be all right.” He stared at the flickering fire. “I have to be.”

“You will.” Kasey placed her hand on his other arm and he sent her a gentle smile.

“Anyway,” Max said. “Enough of this, I’ll have plenty of time to think about it later, for now I just want to enjoy the night. So, is anyone else coming to the party?”

I glanced at my watch. My other friends were either late or not coming. I felt a slight pang of disappointment but then dismissed it. The only friends that really mattered to me were right here. It would be a small party, so what? Last night’s adventure was enough excitement to last another twenty-five years anyway. “Um, looks like it might just be us.”

“Okay, let’s get some fish and chips, hey? Probably be the last time for a while I’ll get to indulge,” Max said, standing. “I’ll duck across the road and get it. My shout.”

“I’ll go with you,” Kasey said and they wandered up the hill and over the road, as Selena and I shared a concerned glance.

“I can’t believe it,” Selena said. “Max always seemed so… so… perfect. Like he was invincible.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Selena crossed her arms and chewed on her bottom lip. “Kelli, what if he doesn’t make it? What if the treatment doesn’t work?”

I slid an arm around her shoulder. “Hey, worrying won’t do any good. I have a strong feeling he’s going to get through this just fine.” It finally made sense, what Kasey had mentioned in the future about her husband being involved in a skin cancer campaign. He wasn’t a scientist, he was an ambassador. “Who knows, maybe something positive will come of this. With him being in the public eye, he might be able to encourage young people to better protect themselves in the sun.”

“You’re right. Wow, Kelli, you’re so positive today with everything that’s happened. It feels like…”

“Like what?”

“Like you’ve, I dunno, matured a few years overnight or something.”

If she only knew the half of it. “Are you saying I was immature before?” I spiced my words with sarcasm.

“Haha, no,” she replied. “Actually…” She brought a curved finger to her lips, squinting her eyes as though in deep thought, before laughing.

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