Athena notices Luis and Hector are looking at each other. She is curious about what they are thinking or communicating with each other, so she initiates conversation with the in-laws.
"What is with the concerned looks Luis and Hector? Are you two lovebirds recalling your wedding vows?"
"Athena, Luis, and I were recalling a troubling day that happened nearly a decade ago. There is no need to drag the memories into the present time. You and Carson have your own news to deal with and, it would not be fair to drag my own troubles into the mix."
Athena suspects something is amiss since Hector is less emotional with his response, Luis is stone-faced, and Carson is silent. She will have to investigate this matter at a later time. Carson breaks the tension that has started to suffocate the room.
"How about the four of us finish eating and play some games? I understand receiving a cancer diagnosis is serious business, but it is Halloween. And I like the costumes you have produced dad and father. I am in the mood for charades!"
Athena laughs at Carson and gives him a hug. She knows how horrible Carson is at charades and is imagining the embarrassment he will endure once charades commence.
"Are you sure you want to play charades babe? I feel you are better at logic games while I am better at the acting type of games. Do you want to do charade teams or every individual for herself or himself?"
Athena gives Carson a playful wink, and he closes his eyes while smiling back at her.
Once the pizza is consumed, the dinner plates are put into the sink, and Athena excuses herself to the restroom, the four adults gather around the coffee table again for charades. The candy corn has been brought out, and some stovetop popcorn has been made. All snacks are courtesy of Hector: the king of snacks! Athena stands up and decides to go first.
After two hours of charades, laughter, and consuming more candy corn than necessary, Luis and Hector are tired. Hector starts breaking the news by complimenting Carson's charade game.
"I will say, that was one of your best performances in charades Carson. On a more serious note, Luis and I are tired. Old people issues."
"Hector, who said anything about the two of us being old? Last I checked, forty-five is the new twenty."
"You are trying too hard to stay relevant Luis. Come now Carson and Athena, are we going to exchange goodbye hugs?"
While walking towards the front door, Hector hugs Athena and Carson, respectively. Luis gestures for Hector to hurry up, and waves goodbye to the younger couple. Once Hector and Luis are out the door and in their car, Athena and Carson close the door. They walk back to the couch and sit down.
"How were tonight's festivities Athena?"
"I enjoyed myself a lot Carson, thank you for asking. Pizza making, charade guessing, and candy corn eating was a nice distraction after an emotionally draining day. What are your thoughts regarding tonight?"
Carson looks into Athena's eyes and smiles.
"I enjoyed myself too Athena. Do you mind if I crash here for the night? I can sleep on the couch or in one of your sibling's bedrooms if you would like."
"You may crash here for tonight; there are spare toothbrushes, and toothpaste, in the linen closet right outside my bedroom door. Do you have a preferred sleeping area or should I surprise you?"
"How about you surprise me, I like being surprised from time to time."
Carson gets up and starts walking upstairs to take care of his personal hygiene. Athena and Carson have decided to live separately until they are married: it suits both of their lifestyles and personal values well.
After fixing the couch with a fitted sheet, two pillows with freshly washed covers, and a quilted blanket, Athena retires to her room. The evening's festivities have lifted her spirits and warn her out all at once.
November 1, 2007, Athena had a night of peaceful sleep and slowly bats her eyes open. Her cat, Waffle, rests on her chest and purrs quietly while Athena pets him. She gets dressed, goes downstairs, and notices Carson is still sleeping. It is 5:30 am. Athena grabs some eggs from the fridge, dances her way over to the pantry for flour, sugar, and coffee. Within ten minutes, the coffee is brewing in the pot and a pancake batter has been made. Once the bacon hits the frying pan, Carson raises his head to see what is going on.
"Athena, you are up already? What time is it?"
"It is 6:15 am Carson, I have been up since 5:00 am. Here, I brewed up some coffee if you are in need of a caffeine boost."
She points to the coffee pot while flipping the bacon so it can crisp on the other side. Once the bacon is flipped, Athena walks over to the fridge and removes fresh strawberries from the refrigerator. Luis and Hector had bought Athena berries as a 'thank you', gift for hosting them overnight.
Carson watches in awe as the love of his life stars rinsing the strawberries under running tap water. The way her thumbs gently stroke each berry, encouraging the dirt to release its grip from the fruit brings a smile to his face. He stretches his arms and legs, sits up on the couch, and slowly rises.
Rubbing his face with both hands, Carson walks to the kitchen, takes his favorite mug from the cup drawer, and pours himself some coffee. Athena beats him to the refrigerator and hands him the half-n-half. She turns towards Carson with a smile and reminding him where the sweetener is kept.
"The table sugar is in the tall, cylinder container next to the stovetop and the honey in the pantry. Should you be in the mood for maple syrup, I keep it in the refrigerator...the real maple syrup requires a cold environment to stay fresh. Kindly put the half-n-half back in the refrigerator when you're finished."
She says this with a bubbly tone to her voice and returns to the stove in order to free the bacon from the pan. Carson is taken aback by Athena's upbeat attitude after the news she received yesterday. He is not mad about Athena feeling upbeat, simply surprised.
"What brought on the perky mood if you don't mind me asking?"
"I am happy Dr. June was able to give me a diagnosis; having blood drawn three times in two weeks, undergoing a relatively painful bone test, and feeling as though my body wanted to shut down can now be put behind me. Hopefully, we can come to an agreement on a course of treatment. The food will be ready in ten minutes."
"What do you mean by coming to an agreement on a course of treatment? What options are available?"
Athena briefly ignores Carson's question since her back is turned towards him and she is flipping the last pancake in the skillet. Once she turns off the heat on the pancakes, she turns her attention to the scrambled eggs that are patiently waiting for their turn under the heat. Athena procures a clean skillet, turns a burner on low heat, pours olive oil into the pan, and waits for the oil to heat up. She turns and faces Carson.
"I am going to assume chemotherapy and radiation are on the menu for my treatment plan. If this is the case, I would like to explore therapies that complement modern practices for cancer treatment: acupuncture, working with a registered dietitian, physical therapy, and the like. To better answer your question, I want a treatment plan that incorporates my entire being: physical, mental, and spiritual."
Carson actively listens as Athena is speaking, he takes a sip from his coffee and watches her intently. He is making mental notes on what Athena is saying and how he can best support her desires. After taking another sip from his coffee, Carson excuses himself upstairs so he can get ready for the day.
Once in the bathroom, Carson takes a long look at himself in the mirror. In his mind, he is wondering how well Athena and he will respond to cancer treatment if postponing wedding planning would add or reduce stress to the couple's life, and what roles Hector, Luis, Charley, Bertha, Samantha (Athena's mother), and Anthony (Athena's father) will play in the journey ahead. He splashes cold water onto his face, takes a deep breath in and out, brushes his teeth, and returns downstairs within ten minutes.
Athena has two place settings on her kitchen table: one purple plate, an empty glass for water, a knife and fork combination, and a refilled coffee mug for Carson; another purple plate, a glass filled with ice water, and a cup of piping hot Earl Grey tea for Athena. The skillet of freshly scrambled eggs is brought to the table and placed next to the stack of pancakes.
"I can run a quick load of laundry so your clothes are fresh Carson. Is it safe to assume you are from classes today since it is a Saturday? If so, what would you like to do with the rest of the daylight hours?"
Carson grabs his plate and takes in Athena's questions. As he piles two pancakes, two scoops of strawberries, a scoop of scrambled eggs, and four pieces of bacon onto his plate, he answers the questions.
"Your assumption is correct; today is my day off from school and I already canceled the study group: there is no need to wash my clothing At. We can stop by my place before heading out for the day. Since the sun is out, I am thinking we can go for a long walk in Volunteer Park, feed some birds or what have you, pack food for a picnic, and grab a movie if we are up for one later."
While taking in the day's event planning, Athena sits down and watches her fiancé fill his plate with food. She already taste-tested a pancake while Carson was getting ready for the day, and allowed a few strawberries to run into her mouth while she was cooking.
Once Carson is finished loading his plate and sits down, Athena takes the remainder of the eggs and another pancake. She is not in the mood for bacon and helps herself to more strawberries. She responds to Carson's plans for the day.
"A walk in Volunteer Park sounds nice, we better get a move on...I am under the impression it will get overcast before noon. I can put together a few sandwiches and beverages for us, and you can be in charge of chips/snacks/or whatever else you want to eat on the picnic. Do you have a preference for your sandwich of choice?"
"I will take whatever you want to feed me At, and yes, I have chips and vegetable options available for us."
He gives Athena a wink and a smile while eating a piece of bacon. The amount of love in the air is so thick, one could cut through the love with a hot butter knife. Once both parties are satiated, the plans are set in stone, and all dishes have made their way into the sink, Carson strips the bedding from the couch. Athen proceeds to put on a pot of water to start making hibiscus tea, while Carson heads to the laundry room to clean the sheets.
Carson emerges from the laundry room in five minutes and gives Athena a surprise hug. She is taken by surprise and almost burns herself while removing the lid from the pot of water. Carson gives a childish grin to say he is sorry, and Athena closes her eyes in acceptance of his apology. Athena instructs Carson to find the dried hibiscus leaves in the pantry and to grab some black tea while he is at it.
Within fifteen minutes, the couple has brewed up lemon-flavored black tea, unsweetened hibiscus beverage, and simple syrup. Athena starts building the sandwiches while Carson puts the sheets into the dryer.