“Good evening, sir. How are you?”
“I'm doing fine, thank you.” I answered.
“Would you like your mail?”
Yes, please. For Room 505.”
“There are several messages for you.” She turned and reached for several handwritten notes left while we were out.
Two notes were from my business partners reminding me about the closing of the Akimoto deal upon my return to New York. A second note stated there would be a party held at AI headquarters. Two notes were from mum to call her. Finally, there was a reminder for a doctor’s visit for the family as soon as we returned to the States.
“Anything important?” Lee focused on my facial expression as I read the last note.
“Nothing that can’t wait.”
“Was there a note from your mum?”
“How do you know?” I squinted my eyes curiously.
“Mum always calls her baby boy.” Lee pinched my cheeks.
“I wish she would stop thinking I'm her baby boy. Do I look like a baby?” I playfully sulked.
“No, but when your around the girls you act like one.” Anne-Marie chortled along with Lee and the girls.
“Just for the record, my cute husband. I hope you remember that when Emma grows up, she won’t be your little girl anymore.”
“Emma will always be my little girl.” I protested.
“Will I always be your little girl too, Mr. Scott?” Ellen asked.
“Ellen.” Anne-Marie snipped. “That’s rather rude to ask that of Mr. Scott.”
Ellen put her head down, clearly hurt. I knelt down, looking Ellen in the eyes.
“Look at me, Ellen. You don’t have to worry about a thing. You and Emma will always be my little girls.”
“Do you promise, Mr. Scott?” Ellen smiled.
“I promise.” Ellen held me tightly around the neck.
“Thank you. I've got a daddy now!”
“Mr. Scott, you didn’t have to do that.” Anne Marie was embarrassed.
“I've asked you, Anne Marie, to call me Alistair. I didn’t like the idea of her feeling sad or rejected.”
“Besides…” Lee interjected. “My husband will have his hands full. Just think, what we could do with all the spare time.” The women giggled.
October 12, 1997
The following morning, Mary and Job Obi joined us for breakfast at the hotel.
“What do you think of your stay so far Mrs. Scott?” Mary wriggled in her seat, trying to get comfortable.
“Sobering is the word that comes to mind.” Lee said. “Every day, people struggle to make a living doing what they can to make ends meet, and they never to give up hope.”
“That’s the way of most South Africans. We believe in a better tomorrow, no matter how bad things get. My husband and I have been given many favorable offers to continue our work in the United States, we choose to stay here for now. We will go to America some day, but for now South Africa is our home.”
October 31, 1997
Weeks of investigations concluded with significant findings that would help reduce the number of breast cancer deaths in South Africa. However, the president seemed more than happy to receive statements surrounding in-depth studies from his handpicked team. My squad of scientists and doctors worked closely to the South Africans, harvesting adequate scientific development hoping to lower the number of new breast cancer cases.
November 4, 1999
“Hello, honey. How was your workout?” Lee kissed me upon walking in the kitchen. Both Lee and Emma sat having breakfast. “Are you okay?”
Lee attempted to ask me once more. But, I was incoherent. My body went into a frenzy and my knees buckled. I hit the floor headfirst.
---
Hours later, I awoke with an IV coming from my hand and a clear tube pumping oxygen through my nose.
“You scared us.” Lee and, Emma hugged me.
“What happened?” Still not fully aware, I tried to pull myself forward to sit up.
Lee gently held me down. “Don’t move too much. You hit your head rather hard on the floor.”
The room door opened. Lee's parents walked in with grandma and grandpa Chang. Lacy followed, holding flowers, not realizing she almost shut the door on my peers.
“Are you okay?” Lucy and Willie asked rubbing my shoulder.
“I'm fine.”
“We got here as soon as we learned what happened.”
It seemed as if everyone was chatting at once. The room began to spin.
“Okay, please give him some space.” Lee announced as the doctor entered. “Alistair is recovering from shock. This is a bit too much for him right now. Do you mind waiting outside, please?”
“Sweetheart, thank you. It felt claustrophobic in here.” I breathed deeply, then looked at the doctor. “Are you going to tell me what happened?”
“What do you know about hyperglycemia, Mr. Scott?” the doctor asked.
I shrugged my shoulders.
“Well, Alistair, you have what’s commonly know as high blood sugar, or too much glucose in your blood.”
My heart pounded rapidly.
“There’s no need to worry.” He continued. “Unfortunately, the bump sustained during the fall is much more serious.” The doctor lifted the gauze covering the bruise on my head. “I'm going to recommend you stay at least overnight for observation. The CAT Scan showed nothing abnormal, but we want to be certain. But as I was saying, you have a very mild case of hyperglycemia that may progress into type 1 or type 2 diabetes.”
“So, can I control my hyperglycemia without taking meds?” I asked.
“Yes, if you follow a healthy eating regiment and keep nutritious snacks in the car and office.
Consulting a dietician wouldn’t be a bad idea either.”
After his evaluation, the doctor left, closing the door behind him. Lee sat on the bed, cradling me in her arms with a sigh of relief.
“Sweetheart, it's time we let the family in unless we want a mass disruption.” I suggested.
“They can wait a little longer.” Lee picked up the phone to call my mum and dad.
December 5, 1999
One month after being discharged from the hospital, is a time I’ll always remember. I've never taken things for granted, but this particular day was extremely telling.
I left the house at the crack of dawn after rowing with Lee over something mindless. I didn’t even give her or Emma a kiss before I left. I just had to leave.
I sat in the driveway for a minute, trying to blow off steam. I looked through the jeep’s window, spotting Lee in the upstairs window. I blew a kiss to Emma who was watching me behind the downstairs curtains. I forced a smile and put the truck in reverse.
As I drove to a meeting in Yonkers, traffic slowed to a stop, two miles off the G.W. Bridge. The hot and dreary weather mimicked the dullness I felt within. A few miles up, diesel fuel began covering I-85. Oil rose from the blacktop, making driving conditions worst. Without warning, a minivan cut off a tractor-trailer to my right. It jackknifed, slapping my car into a concrete divider like a pinball. Grabbing the steering wheel tightly, I hard turned, left then right, easing off the accelerator. My head hit the gearshift, as the impact knocked my three-ton Range Rover back into the concrete divider. Glass shattered and the airbags deployed. Visions of Lee, Emma and our life together flashed and then went black.
---
“Don’t move, sir. Stay still.”
“is he okay?” shouted a hysterical woman.
“I'm not sure.” A shadowy figure of a man told bystanders to move back.
“She’s a nurse, sir. She's going to check his pulse.” The woman screamed once more.
Reaching through the broken window, she held my wrist while looking at her watch. “He's in shock.” The nurse said. “Can this door open?”
“No, damn things jammed.” Said the man’s voice I heard earlier.
I heard sirens approaching.
“Thank god! First
responders are here.” This was the last thing I heard him say before things went black again.
In seconds, three fire fighters pulled me from the wreckage with the Jaws of Life.
“Easy guys, gently slide him on the stretcher.” EMS workers took over. “Sir, can you hear me?”
My right ear was ringing.
“We’re going to take you to the hospital. Is there anywhere else that hurts? Can you move your legs?”
“Yes.” I answered all his questions at once.
As I faded in and out of consciousness, I was oblivious that my wife was present. A panic-stricken Lee waited with her parents for news on my condition. I had sustained a three inch laceration, which need several stitches on my head, and had suffered a possible concussion.
---
“Hi, honey. You’re awake.” I heard Lee’s voice before my eyes could focus.
“Let me get the family.”
“No.” I stopped her. “There’s something I have to say.”
Lee choked back tears. “So, do I.”
“I'm sorry, sweetheart, for leaving home agitated over rubbish.”
She halted my words with a tight hug, affirming her love and forgiveness.
“Where is Emma?” I asked with tears in my eyes.
“She's outside.” Lee answered between sniffles.
May 2000
For months, concerns of Lee's health made me fret. There was something she wasn’t disclosing. As we headed back to the hotel, during one of our many business trips, the manager handed Lee a note after acknowledging our return.
“Is everything alright, sweetheart?”
Lee quickly tucked the piece of paper in her pocket, trying to redirect the conversation. “Let’s order out tonight, instead of going to a restaurant.”
“That’s fine, sweetheart.” But I continued to press the issue as we headed to the room. “Tell me what’s going on.”
“There’s nothing to tell.” Lee gave a quick answer, hoping her retort would suffice.
I was getting angry. “Don’t give me that. I'm not blind! Why did you stuff that paper in your pocket without reading it.” My voice elevated. “You’re not being honest. And, in case you've forgotten, I'm your husband. That gives me a right to know. So, don’t expect me to stand here and listen to any feeble-minded excuses that you may come up with. Liars and deceivers do that!”
I quickly came to myself and needed to immediately leave. This wasn’t me. I’d never raised my voice at my wife. I turned to leave the room.
“Stop, Alistair.” Lee began to weep. “Don’t leave. I need you more than ever. Sit down, please.”
I was concerned, but still unsatisfied. I needed answers so I sat down on the edge of the bed.
“I’ve had several tests. It's come back positive for breast cancer.”
June 5, 2000
"Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher" ~Oprah Winfrey
Family and friends sat around the dining table, drinking tea and coffee at our home, as Lee and I prepared to break the news. There was no easy way of tell them that Lee had Stage One breast cancer, which had spread to both breast.
Some people are mistaken when they find out the five-year survival rate of this stage of cancer. This doesn't mean my wife will die after five years. Doctors measure success rates after five years. However, since the tumor was small, Lee was going to have a lumpectomy procedure, which meant just the tumor and the surrounding tissue would be removed. She would also undergo radiation therapy.
“Mum, dad, everyone, there's something that Alistair and I have to say.” The mood in the dinning room suddenly shifted. Eyes were on Lee. “There's no need for anyone to overreact with what I'm about to bring to light, however.”
“What is it sis?” Lacy insisted. Grandpa and grandma hit her with their canes for butting in.
“The day after tomorrow, I'm going into hospital to have a tumor removed from my breasts.”
Lucy gasped in horror, clasping her hands over her mouth, before embracing her youngest daughter. “God will help our family through this.” she reassured Lee through tears.
Emma and Ellen, now eighteen, comforted Lee, weeping themselves.
Lee asked all in the house not to leak any information in regards of her health to unwanted sources. “What was told in strict confidence, stays here.”
June 18, 2000
I will never forget the day I drove my wife to the hospital. Painful memories targeted my state of mind, recalling the day mum suffered the same fate. Why does this always happen to the ones you love the most? God must be testing my faith. Is my wife, or all living beings not worthy of life? Downbeats of self-questioning whirled in my head with imprecise answers.
---
“Not in a million years did I think you and I would be waiting for me to undergo breast cancer surgery in this place.”
“Are you scared sweetheart?” I asked gently.
“I'm petrified.” Lee answered solemnly.
Holding my wife’s quivering hand confirmed what she was feeling. I held her closely. “I’m here. I will never leave your side.”
---
I was communing with God by my wife’s bedside when she awoke, inert. “Hi, sweetheart. How are you feeling, beautiful?”
Lee whimpered. “I'm in pain. What’s this under my arm?”
“Don’t touch that. It's removing excess fluid from the tissues around the breast.” I reassured Lee. “I called the family and told them the surgery went well.”
“That’s easy for you to say. I'm the one with a tube sticking out of my armpit.” Lee jokingly replied, placing her hand on mine. “Thank you.”
“For what?” I asked.
“For being here.”
“I told you, you’re my wife, the love of my life. I'm not going anywhere.”
“That's right mister, or else!” My sister-in-law’s timing was impeccable.
“There's never any privacy with you. Can't you read the sign on the door? It says private.” I teased Lacy. “My wife and I are in the middle of a romantic moment, come back later.”
“Hi mum, hi dad.” Emma and Ellen squeezed passed their aunt to hug their mother.
“I see dad and aunt Lacy are squabbling again like two infants.” Emma announced.
“Hey young lady, just remember who gave the two of you a ride here.” Lacy playfully scolded.
“How can we forget, we’re still suffering from whiplash.” Emma held her neck.
That’s hilarious; like father like daughter.” Lacy rolled her eyes. “Let’s see who will have the last laugh when you’re walking home.”
“That’s doing them a favor, Whiplash Lacy.” I joked.
“Shut up, pea brain!” Lacy slapped me on the back of my head, only to kiss me afterwards on the cheek.
“Mum, why is it that Aunt Lacy and dad have to taunt one another just to say hi?”
“Emma darling, I've been wondering the same thing for years; even before you where born.”
---
We left the hospital midafternoon. Lee still had the drain tube in place and was instructed on how to correctly drain the bulb. It was important to discharge the fluid a few times a day. The doctor approved acetaminophen (Tylenol) for pain medication. Lee would have to return to the doctor two weeks later to have the drain removed. Until then, it was recommend that she take sponge baths instead of showers. Care for the wound dressing would be taken care of at her first follow-up visit.
It's common after breast cancer surgery that the immune system not be fully functional. This put Lee at greater risk for infection of the lungs, mouth, throat, sinuses, blood steam and urinary tract. According to the doctor, signs of infection included: swelling, redness, warmth, or pus around site of surgery. So, Lee was going to need a lot of care. With a close-knit family like ours, this wouldn’t be problematic. At least that’s what I thought.
---
The problem with having close relatives is everyone wants to ta
keover. Despite being a little worn out, I was more than capable of caring for my wife. Then again, family and friends wouldn’t allow me to do it without some help. For the next several weeks, our home had more human traffic than bloody Grand Central Station.
The Fourth Day of November Page 19