Free The Wisdom of Evil by Scarlet Black Page B

treatments.”
    “And without all that, how long?”
    “Four months maximum.” She was so certain; she hadn’t even hesitated.
    Michael and Glory were stunned! Just one short day ago they’d expected to bring Joan to their home and care for her as she recovered from pneumonia. Now they had to listen to details of an illness they both were all too familiar with; one that was both cruel and finite. The only cure was death. The mere thought of a world without Joan in it was intolerable.
    Glory’s own mother, with all her poor life choices and inability to show affection, wasn’t as much of a mother to her as this woman. Joan had shown her what a mother’s love could be. She’d learned a lot about life and love from her, treasures that she would carry in her heart throughout her life.
    While Michael was close to his mother and would do whatever needed to be done for her, Glory knew that Joan would never want to burden him with the care that she’d need.
    “She has eight months at best, Glory . Let’s make it the best eight months we can for her.”
    “How can we give her everything that she needs?”
    “We’ll do it. It’s…my mother, your mother , too. She thinks of you as her daughter, always has. I’ll take medical leave from work and you can take over later in the day. Because that’s what families do. I’m sure Mickey and Olivia will pitch in too.”
    “ Mickey is gonna be crushed by this,” she whispered.
    “Yeah, I know…but he’ll do right by her. And he’s a pretty resilient kid. So, we’ll just…do the best we can with what we’ve got, as a family.”
    In the months that followed, everyone in the family spent numerous hours at the hospital as Joan received chemotherapy.
    After her release from the hospital, she came to stay at Michael and Glory’s home where they could care for her around the clock.
    When the oxygen tanks were brought in and the guest room was converted into a sick room, the reality of the illness hit them hard, but they did their best.
    Sometimes, when Glory pulled into the driveway after work, she had to sit in the car for a minute or two and cry . Finally, she’d take a deep breath, struggling to pull herself together just to walk in the front door.
    Michael called Glory constantly at work, petrified of doing or not doing the right thing in caring for his mother.
    “She hasn’t eaten today ! She hasn’t moved all day. What should I do?” He sounded so scared and helpless. The look on his face; one of relief-- and guilt for feeling such a thing was evident when she walked in the door.
    “It’s okay t o be scared, Michael. You take care of me an’ the kids all the time. You’ve helped me through some of the worst times in my life. Now, let me do that for you, please.”
    “She wants a bath, but she won’t let me do it. I would, but she just won’t let me.”
    “Michael, she’s your mother and she’s a lady. She doesn’t want you to do that for her. I wouldn’t want Mickey to do it for me. Look, go take a ride with Mickey. I’ll take care of it.”
    “ ’Kay.”
    Glory was well aware that Joan would only let either her or the home health care aide that came in twice a week do it. After all, they were all wom en. Glory always laid a large towel over Joan to preserve her dignity and washed her underneath it. Lastly, she washed what was left of her hair. That was the worst of it, as large strands and later, entire clumps of hair came off in her soapy hands.
    In the sixth month of her illness, Joan looked much better and felt good. She was in remission. Of course, Glory and Michael hoped against hope that the doctors were wrong after all.
    Michael , Glory and the children took her to all the places that she loved. They spent hours at the beautiful Maine beaches, sitting peacefully on a bench, watching the seagulls and smelling the salty air.
    One night, as they all sat at the dining room table playing cards and talking of about what they’d do for