Page 29 of Forever Yours on Christmas Eve
A C- on her exam.
A rather weighted exam.
In hermaster’sprogram.
It was a level of failure that she hadn’t ever reached before.
She couldn’t do much for the grade itself, only learning of it on the train out of town and heading back to Newport. She’d dropped her professor a note immediately, wondering how on earth this was possible. She’d studied. She’d gone over her notes. She even got together in a group with others from class. And despite doing everything short of beating herself over the head with the textbook, she still wasn’t up to par.
A C- was not at the passing level, and her grade was in serious trouble. If she couldn’t raise it to at least a C, she’d have to take the class over again. Which would put her behind her deadline.
Was the universe trying to hold her back from her dreams?
Feeling her heart break all over again, she had pulled up her text message thread to Sev, wanting more than anything to gain his comfort. He’d been with her every step of the way on this harried journey, and if anyone was going to have insight, it would be him.
But he’d left for his “work trip” three days ago, and she hadn’t heard from him. She knew better than to be the person who left him endless messages when he probably had zero service. No, she had to wait for him to reach out.
She knew he would. When he was able.
She only wished he were able to right now.
Walking down the hallway, she could smell the delicious aroma of Hungarian mushroom soup, one of her favorites. Her father hademployed a personal assistant who took care of running their household, and knowing Kelsey would be home this weekend, she made them dinner. Marta was close to her father’s age, and in a way, she hoped they might find some sort of happiness in one another’s company, whether that looked like a relationship, a situationship, or even a full-on proposal for marriage.
Kelsey’s parents had been quite young when they found themselves expecting, and, realizing that they were not meant to be together for the long haul, they were able to come to a friendly agreement to coparent. Kelsey’s dad took full custody of her, and while in her younger years she did have memories of her mother, as she grew older, the woman grew more distant. It never bothered her, really, given that she got everything she could ever need from her father. Yet still, as she became a young woman and started looking at life through a romantic lens, she wondered if her dad ever regretted swapping intimacy with a potential life partner for diaper changes and temper tantrums.
In a way, she hoped he found happiness.
She hoped she’d find it for herself, too.
“Kiki, you’re just in time,” he said, scooping from a massive stock pot the soup her mouth had been watering for. He held out a bowl to her with his signature smile; however, she noticed something didn’t feel quite right.
“Thanks,” she said, watching him scoop out a bowlful for himself as she made her way to the table. It was a long, dark wood table with a shellacked top and a glowing chandelier overhead. It felt like a lot when it was just the two of them, but during the holidays, they’d often invite his old Navy buddies and their families. Those were some of the best times together, all gathered around a table for a good meal and wonderful stories.
Just the thought of it made her smile.
Taking her seat to the right of her dad, she waited for him to take the captain’s chair, setting his bowl down on the green placemat infront of him.
“So, there are some things I need to talk to you about,” he announced, dipping his spoon into the soup and taking a healthy bite.
“Alright, spill it,” she said, copying his movements and feeling the warm, flavorful concoction smooth over her tongue. She and her dad never minced words, so she wasn’t sure of the need for the preparation now.
“I’m having surgery Thursday,” he said, continuing to eat.
“What?” she asked, pausing mid-spoonful and casting her eyes in his direction. He didn’t return her look.
“I’ll probably be in the hospital through the weekend. Just observation,” he said, hazarding a glance at her as he reached for the basket of rolls. “You know how overprotective doctors can get.”
“What are you having surgery on?” Her father had a bad knee from a training accident when she was in middle school, but he’d put in the work in physical therapy, and it hardly bothered him, except for a storm rolling in.
His face blanked as he paused, gently setting his spoon back in his bowl. Turning his eyes to her, he said the single most terrifying thing she could possibly think of. “They found a tumor.”
Kelsey’s heart began to pound in her chest, rising up her throat and seemingly taking up residence between her ears. Everything clicked into place as to why he was acting so strange. Why he was barreling through details. Why he thought to prepare her to start with.
This was bad.
She turned her head to him, her mouth agape as he spoke, gesturing to different portions of his head. He didn’t look at her, but studied the table as if he were recollecting things that his doctor had apparently told him. He went on about lobes and centimeters, biopsies and malignancy.
“What about recovery time?” she heard herself say in a small voice, quite possibly thousands of miles away from their dining room table.
