She Can Have Him
On the same day I was admitted into the hospital for my pregnancy, my husband, Charles Page, received 108 missed calls on his phone. It was from Sue, his mentee, a girl who had cancer.
I asked if he was going to pick up, and he replied impatiently, "All she does is call me all day! Doesn't she have any other family? She's so annoying."
Later, that very girl posted a photo of herself on the hospital rooftop, wearing a white dress.
The caption said: [If I jump down from here, will I become a butterfly in my next life? Maybe then, everyone won't hate me.]
Charles only glanced at the post before chuckling mockingly. "What does she mean, turn into a butterfly? Is she delusional?"
But after that, he grew visibly restless, before rushing out and not returning all night.
That night, I hemorrhaged and was taken into emergency care.
When the nurse asked if I wanted to keep the baby, I looked at the empty space beside me and answered calmly.
"No, I don't."