a small alcove. Looking around, I acquaint myself with my fellow volunteers and the children I’ll be spending my time with. They’re a mixed bunch. Some look unwell while others appear healthy, but the common factor is they’re all under fifteen, and they’re dying.
“I was homeschooled,” I hear the teenage girl at the next table say to her peer. “Yup, I’m that freak.”
I cluck my tongue.
This is what I came here for. To put an end to this stigma associated with being sick.
Trying this volunteer thing on for size, I approach the table, not wanting to press on my first day. “Hi, I’m Lola.” Both girls look at me. “I overheard what you said, and I just want you to know that no, you’re not a freak. We’re just…different.”
The girl looks at me, turning up her lip bitterly. I know what she sees. On the outside, I look like the perfect beacon of health.
Crouching down and dropping to her level, I smile. This is why I’m here. To make a difference. “I have a brain tumor, so if you’re a freak, then so am I.” Her eyes widen, and I can see it. We’re both in the same club no one wants to join, but we’re banded by shitty circumstances nonetheless.
“Are you a volunteer here?”
I nod, hoping it’s a good thing.
It is.
She beams brightly and reaches for her cell. “I’m going to text Francis and Ryan. You have to be our buddy. I’m Tash, by the way.”
When I read over the welcoming pack, it stated a group of kids are assigned a buddy. A buddy is someone who does activities with their group and is the leader of the pack. It warms me beyond words that Tash wants me as hers.
The smell of ripe tomatoes and golden mozzarella wafts through the air. Volunteers in the green and navy uniform emerge from three entrances off to the sides, carrying silver trays of food.
An older lady walks over to Cassandra and smiles. “Hello, Cassandra. I hope you’re hungry. We have lasagna on the menu.” Cassandra sighs, and I don’t understand why until the volunteer sits beside her and produces an adult bib. She ties it around her neck as Cassandra can’t do it herself.
“Welcome to my hell,” she quips when she notices Tash looking at her.
Tash quickly averts her gaze. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude.”
“It’s okay. Alpers-Huttenlocher syndrome hasn’t been kind to me for over ten years. I’m used to people staring.”
I’ve read about Cassandra’s condition, as it’s a disease that attacks the brain. Cassandra, just like me, would have been healthy and not known better. She walked, talked, and ate on her own, but our stories take the same turn. She would have experienced inexplicable changes, and then as time progressed, she would have watched herself deteriorate before her eyes, helpless to stop it.
Tears sting, but I wipe them away. None of us wants sympathy.
A beautiful woman in a lilac jacket and white pleated pants enters the room. Her white heels add height to her petite frame. Her long dark hair is twisted into a high bun, emphasizing her large green eyes and plump coral-painted lips.
She searches the room, appearing to seek someone out. When her gaze lands on me, I’m surprised to see that someone is me. She waves, and I turn over my shoulder to ensure it is me she’s addressing. I see it is.
“Hello, Lola.” I meet her warm eyes. “I’m Tamara Meriwether, the art teacher.” I nod with a smile. “Sorry to interrupt lunch, but I wanted to give you this.” She passes me a clear folder as I stand.
“Thank you.” I accept and open it up to see a timetable and a long list of activities.
“You’re helping out in my art class. I thought you may want it now as we’re starting some fun activities after lunch.”
“That sounds great. I can’t wait.”
“Wonderful.” She claps her hands together, her Tiffany bracelets twinkling under the bright lights. “All the information is in the folder. The official welcoming happens tonight. But June doesn’t like to make a fuss, and instead, we just carry on like normal. That’s why we head straight into activities on the first day.” I like June even more.
Before coming here, I did an online introduction on what to expect. It was about three hours’ worth of study, and even though June may seem casual in her approach, she runs this place with the utmost precision.