Alive and Well

A heartwarming tale by: GothicVampire13

Warm sunlight seeped through the drapes of Jenna’s bedroom window as the sun slowly rose. Her eyelids came open and explored the ceiling, her room, and the world outside. A beautiful morning in St. Louis, Missouri, she thought to herself. She reached her hand over to grab the digital clock sitting upon her nightstand. It read 8:31 AM, August 15, 2006. Two years, she thought. Two years since her cancer had disappeared. August 15, 2004 had been the happiest day of her life. She set the clock back on the table, recollecting the past seven years of her life. The five long years she spent with cancer and the last two she’d been so grateful to see.

She looked outside once more and then to the clock. While she untangled her feet from her comforter, she gently crawled out of her bed. She walked over to her dresser and look into the mirror. Her brown hair was mangled and had loose strands going in every direction. She pulled it back into a long pony tail and looked at her reflection again. Now she could see her eyes. They were grayish-blue, but not quite anything of the two colors, almost greenish in a way. She focused on the color of her irises and gave up a moment later, frustrated from trying to locate the name of the right color in her mind. It would always be a mystery.

Jenna walked to the bedroom door, only opened a crack. She pulled it towards her and made her way out the room and into the kitchen. When she approached the counter, she couldn’t help but look at the calendar hanging next to the phone. She looked at the date and smiled to herself. Today was also the day the American Cancer Society celebrated twenty years of being together and helping to saves lives. Jenna was a proud member. She then ate breakfast, got ready, and went out the door.

A few minutes later, Jenna pulled up to a complex filled with members of ACS and people supporting them. She quickly spotted Beth, Amy, and Todd, some close friends and members of the support group, talking in a small group. She pulled her keys out of the ignition and jumped out of her car to meet them. Waving her hands at them and yelling their names, her voice filled with joy.

“Beth! Todd! Amy! Over here!” She slowed to a walk as they all turned to look at her. They smiled and waved as well. Amy got to Jenna first, embracing her into a hug, joined by Todd and Beth, one by one. Amy was about the same height as Jenna, 5’4. Her blond hair hit her shoulders and swayed as light breezes swept through the groups small circle. Her chocolate-brown eyes glowed in the sun. Todd was about a head taller than the two of them and had brown eyes as well. Beth was the shortest of them all, standing 5’2” with dark brown eyes and hair.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” said Amy.

“I’m glad to be here,” Jenna laughed. Jenna looked around and saw that the crowd had gotten bigger. “We have a lot of supporters today,” she beamed.

“Yeah, it’s great,” said Todd, fiddling with the digital camera around his neck. They turned and walked to the doors of the complex. “All of the games and activities will be outside and we’re hoping it’s nice out all day.”

“I heard it was going to rain later. When is the celebration over?” Beth asked.

“It’s going on until about five or six,” said Amy. The group looked at one another.

“Well, what time is it?” Jenna asked. She looked up at the sky, bright and clear.

Todd looked at his watch, “It’s about twelve-thirty.” He dropped his arm to his side. “Come on. Let’s look around.”

They nodded and smiled, then walked into the large crowd of people. There were games and raffle ticket booths set up everywhere, along with food and merchandise stands. Jenna was amazed at how many people showed up today. Hundreds were there. She gawked at the lines of people. Children ran around with helium balloons. The wind whipped them back and forth behind their heads. The kids laughed and played in the grass. Families were unfolding picnic blankets in the shade. Jenna couldn’t help but smile to herself. She was happy. Twenty years of helping to save lives was such an accomplishment to her.

The group of friends came to a stop in front of a game booth. It was a dart toss where you’d throw the dart and try to hit as many balloons as possible. Jenna was first. She aimed the dart and closed one eye. Then she tossed her dart. The rubber of the balloon made a high-pitched squeak as it skidded past it to lodge into the wall. She sighed and threw another. This toss was a success. She continued to throw the darts. Pop! Pop! Pop! The popping noise continued as Todd, Amy, and Beth took their turns.

The four of them then made their way to a concession stand to buy popcorn and drinks. They were having so much fun they didn’t notice the sun starting to disappear. It slowly sank behind the clouds. Jenna looked up and noticed it first. The dark clouds looked like giant dust bunnies. She turned to Amy.

“What time is it?”

Amy looked at her watch. “It’s about quarter to four.” She then looked up at the sky as well. The clouds got closer, making Jenna feel claustrophobic. She just kept staring at the clouds, watching for their next move. The crowd was ushered into the complex, but Jenna stayed by herself. Then she held her palm out in mid-air. A small pool of water splashed into her palm. She closed her fingers around it, trapping it. Then she felt another splash on her shoulder, then another, and another. Soon enough, it began to pour.

“Jenna”, Amy called. “Get inside, you’re getting soaked!” Jenna blinked a few raindrops from her eyelashes and turned around quickly. She sprinted to the door where Beth was waiting with a towel.

“What about the booths?” Jenna asked. She felt the urge to turn back to the pouring rain outside. Beth wrapped the towel around Jenna’s shoulders as she continued. “The whole celebration is ruined!”

Amy squeezed Jenna’s shoulder. “They’re taking care of it.” Jenna turned to the door again and looked outside. She saw six or seven men with raincoats on pulling plastic tarps over the booths. She let out a sigh and walked in the doors of the indoor soccer field. Loud music was blaring from the large speakers hanging from the corners of all four walls. The group followed. There were still a lot of people there. They had no problem with the rain at all. Everyone continued to have fun and enjoy themselves.

Jenna smiled at the happy crowd. “I guess this is as good as it’s going to get today,” she sighed and took the towel of from her shoulders and turned to the group. “Is anyone up for a game of soccer?” The four smiled and Amy went to grab a soccer ball. The group continued to have fun and not let the rain ruin their day.

Fifteen to twenty minutes into their game a voice called through the room.
“Hey, everybody, the rain is stopped! It stopped raining!” The crowd scrambled out into the fresh air. The sun was out again. It was like it had never rained at all. The music from the speakers inside the complex blared louder and the clouds were gone. Everything turned out perfectly.

“Hey, let’s get a picture,” Todd said. He set his camera up on a tripod and set the timer. Then he began to count down,” Three…two…one!” Before he could say the last number, the group smiled and the flash went off. This was a beautiful piece of memorabilia to remember a beautiful day.