10 August 2008

The last moments of Mage's "two-breasted life"

We didn't get the house.

Before we got the bad news, I took the kids to the local farmer's market and park and dreamily drove by the house. As I stalked by the house for the 15th time, I felt it was gone. I just knew they had accepted the other offer. I was really funked up about it. The letdown deepened this evening when I didn't find anything on zip realty that would work even in a pinch.

And then I read my young friend's latest entries in her brand new blog. She shares the (would have been surprisingly silly if it were anyone else's) details of her 8/8/08 mastectomy:

I know for sure that my breast looked okay in the conveyer belt room because as Eric #1 was pulling back my robe to get my breast exposed for the procedure, I told him, "You're the last person who is ever going to see my breast like this, so will you just take a moment and appreciate it?" This seemed to embarrass him. At the time I thought he was just uncomfortable because he was just trying to do his job and didn't want to think about the fact that I was a nice lady with a nice breast who was about to lose it forever. But, now that I am writing about it, it really does seem like the waffle-iron room happened first. In which case, maybe he just looked uncomfortable because I was asking him to appreciate a breast that looked like it was smeared with mud and had been attacked by bees. Poor guy.


Mage is one of those people who makes lemonade out of lemons. She has cancer and hasn't hit 40 yet. You need one hell of a juicer to inject humor into that scenario. Thanks for the mind-shift, dear friend. I'll take my two-breasted life into some other house some other day.

5 comments:

Jody said...

wow. We don't always realize in our little self centered lives how Horrors some people have to deal with...

I hope she took some pics before her procedure.

Unknown said...

There is always going to be something that gives us perspective when things don't go the way we want them to.

When FabGrandpa was diagnosed with cancer of the tongue back in 2001, my then Boss's husband had lukemia. Now, just having a doctor say that dreaded "C" word is enough to knock your socks off, but then...FabGrandpa was 51 and all the kids were grown up and he would survive although he would have scars. And Boss's hubby was 36 and they had three very young children and he died.

How could I mourn the loss of hubby's good looking profile when she was mourning the loss of his life???

Yes, you will find the house of your dreams, and it will be all that much better when you do.

M.M.M. said...

Wow! I feel like I'm famous. I'm so honored to be worthy of mention on this blog.

I can't stop laughing reading your excerpt from my story. I thought it was funny anyway, but out of context...it is hilarious!

I just have to make one teensy correction to your writing. You said, "She has cancer and hasn't hit 40 yet." Correction: I HAD cancer.

All better now!
I love you.
Thanks for keeping tabs on me.

kim the midwife said...

What an idiot I am. Yes, Mage HAD, Had, haD cancer!

It really is all relative, isn't it? House-no house, changed body-changed life, my problem-your problem. It sure keeps life interesting...

Jamie said...

Thanks for "keepin' it real" ladies! :)