I Can't Stay

• Shakira Gade, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2012

The whole place seemed like it was on fire.
Rose stuttered her words; she was really struggling coming up with the next sentence off the top of her head. She had been reciting it all day and when it actually came to reciting it in front of 200 people, she was lost for words. She was very nervous, when she touched her forehead; beads of sweat were running down her face. She quickly wiped it away.
“Next… I will—I will…” she said, moving over the board with all her chart on it. She turned it around, but someone had drawn a giant smiley face on it; this made Rose angry inside.
“Look, clearly you all don’t want to worry about what is going to happen in five months if we don’t do anything about the amount of water you waste. The lake can only hold so much water and we are in a drought at the moment, I don’t know whether you have actually noticed but we are in the middle of the dessert!” she yelled.
People stared at her with blank faces, before screwing up their noses and walking off. She mustn’t have made a good impression. When Rose looked up at the light she felt dizzy, next thing she knew she was laying on the ground, people were surrounding her. The words that were being said were long and continuous before everything went black.
* * *
When Rose woke up, she was in a hospital, she was surrounded by doctors and there were cords hanging off her everywhere. She knew the local doctors but not this one. Maybe I had been transferred to a new one, she thought. She tried sitting up, but she couldn’t.
“Where am I?” she screamed, the doctor’s turned their attention to her.
“Rose... Calm down. I’m Doctor Fisher. You are in here because-“he paused. “Because you have cancer. I’m sorry” Rose didn’t know what to believe. He wouldn’t actually tell her what cancer she had or how long she had to live, why won’t he tell her?
Before the doctor left, she gripped his arm tightly. He turned around, he tried to speak but she cut him off. “Rose…”
“No! Listen to me, how long do I have to live and what type of cancer to I have Doctor?” she said, sternly. She had let go of his arm and he sighed.
“Rose, you only have 3 weeks to live, the cancer spread all over your body, and you have leukaemia, I’m so sorry Rose. Do you want me to call your parents?” I could feel the tears welling in my eyes; I don’t know why my parents didn’t come with me. I mean they must have thought I would be at the local doctor’s or something. Fainted from heat exhaustion.
“3… 3 weeks?” she stuttered, as the doctor walked off, quickly. Rose was crying now, she was so shocked by the fact that she only had three weeks. She wanted to call her mama that she was going to be okay up in heaven. She saw a telephone on the bedside table; she quickly grabbed it and dialled the number.
“Hello?” the lady at the end of the phone said.
“Hello mama, it’s Rose” she said, tears still falling.
“Honey, where are you?” her mother said, distraught.
“Don’t worry mama, I’m in hospital. But… but I have leukaemia, they’ve only given me 3 weeks to live mama. I’ll be fine mama. I’ll be with God; I promise he will take care of me” she replied. Rose could hear her mother’s tears on the other end of the line.
“No, my baby can’t die! What hospital are you in Rose, I’m coming to speak to them doctors.” Her mother said, frantically.
“Mama, calm down. I am in Bradford hospital, 300kms away from where we live mama. Try and get here as fast as you can mama, I love you” Rose said, wiping away her tears.
“Honey, I’ll be there as soon as I can, stay alive.” She replied, hanging up the phone, Rose smiled, she had closure, but she knew she could die, she promised her mama.

* * *

Rose’s mother arrived 2 weeks and 6 days after she called, they had a hard time getting a plane, when her mother arrived, and she was in a critical state.
“Oh my god, look at this. They can’t do this to my baby!” she yelled at the doctor.
“Calm down, we can’t help what happened to your daughter, let her go in peace.” The doctor replied.
“Mama, calm down please. I am in peace. When I leave I will stand with God and watch over you, making sure you are safe and well. Don’t do anything bad mama. I promise you will be safe. Tell daddy I love him mama, please do that for me” Rose replied. “I love you”

* * *

Rose died at 11 am in February 13th 2005, she was only 15. Although she is no longer living, she still watches over her mama making sure she is safe and not morning too much. Rose did as she promised, she is with God and she is watching over her mama in her time of sadness. She knows now that she is in a better place; there will be no more suffering.