“It’s those damned luncheon meats you eat. I told you they would make you sick. Maybe someday one of my children will listen—”
He’d had enough. It was time for tough love and damn the torpedoes. “Mom, shut up. As usual, you have no idea what you’re talking about. You see two articles on the Internet or have a conversation with the ladies during a 3-Spades hand and suddenly you’re an expert. This time you’re dead wrong.” Deep breath.
“Jeremy Powell, I will not take this abuse, especially via some stupid computer thingy. This call is over.” She reached for the computer mouse but Carole slapped her hand away, hard.
“Touch that mouse and Jerry and I will suddenly be orphans. You will sit down, shut up, and listen to what Jerry has to say. Jerry, go ahead, before I choke the living shit out of Mom.”
Not only did their mother look shocked, but Jean-Marc in the background looked like he was going to cheer out loud. Much to his credit, he didn’t.
“Um, thanks, Carole. Mom, I have cancer. Brain cancer.”
Carole sobbed. Jean-Marc went white and covered his mouth with his hand. Jerry’s mother paled a little, but lifted her chin. He could see her clench her teeth briefly.
“That is not funny. I know you want my attention, but trying to shock me into silence with one of your cruel practical jokes is unacceptable.”
“Glioblastoma multiforme or GBM. A brain tumour. It usually kills in nine to fifteen months, max. They’re pretty sure I haven’t got that long. We caught it pretty late.”
Carole got up out of her chair and turned away from the camera, her face in her hands. Jean-Marc took her place. His eyes were damp, too, but he was holding it together. Next to him, Jane held one hand to her mouth. Her eyes were wide, and Jerry could see her hand trembling. Jean-Marc leaned in.
“Tell us what they’ve got planned for treatment, Jerr. Surgery? Radiation? Chemo? Clinical study?”
Thank God at least one of them was being strong. Jerry nodded. “No surgery, because it’s too wide spread, even to the brain stem. There a few technical tricks they can try to get the chemo around the blood-brain barrier, and I start radiation therapy in three weeks.”
His mother found her voice. “Three weeks?! Start tomorrow! Don’t put this off like everything else you’ve procrastinated in your life. The sooner you start, the better.”
“Thanks, Mom, for finding a way to blame me. Actually, it’s going to take three weeks for the scan they did yesterday to plot out the extent of the tumour and the specifics of the treatment. They can’t just blast away at my head with a laser cannon and hope they get more tumour than brain. My oncologist is going to try and speed up the process, but this is one aspect of the treatment that isn’t too flexible. They’re also looking into available clinical trials. With the disease so far along, the odds of me becoming a lab rat are actually pretty good.”
His sister traded places with Jean-Marc again, having recovered from the initial shock. “What can we do? Can you come home for a visit before they start the treatments? Can you get the time off?”
“No travelling. My boss is great, fantastic even, so that’s not the problem. But I’ve started having seizures, which was expected, so I don’t dare risk flying. If I had a major seizure mid-flight… I wouldn’t wish that on the flight crew or the other passengers. Besides, I want to stay close to the medical team I’ve already started working with. What I’d like to do is fly the three of you out for a visit. Can you spare the weekend?”
“Of course!”
“Mais oui!”
“Which weekend?”
“Mom! Jerry’s sick! It doesn’t matter which weekend!” Carole hung her head. “I swear we were both adopted.”
Her mother turned slowly to look steadily at her. For the first time since the conversation started, she truly looked sad. “That’s not funny, Carole. I’m asking simply because we have to book the flights.”
Jerry held a hand up to stop the bickering, as he’d done for years when they still had regular family dinners. “I’d like to fly you out this weekend. Friday.” He sensed movement beside him and turned to see Ana staring at him, tears welling up in her own eyes. He simply nodded to her and her floodgates opened. He squeezed her hand and looked back at the camera.
Carole finished some mental calculations and nodded. “Definitely. Jean-Marc and I will find a way. Mom?”
“This Friday?”
“Yes, please.”
“It’s that serious?”
“I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t.”
“I know. You joke around a lot, but… of course. Friday is fine, Jerry. I can even stay with you for as long as you need me to, to make sure you eat properly, and drive you to your appointments. You don’t need to worry about anything but getting well.”
Jerry chuckled. “Thanks for the offer, Mom, but I should be okay.” He squeezed Ana’s hand, again. “I’ve got a great support team here in Victoria. My new boss and co-workers have become an instant family. Of course they’ll never replace you three, but, well, you’ll see when you meet them. I’ll book it at this end and email Carole everything you need to check in and get your boarding passes. I’ll take care of your hotel, too.”
“Jeremy, that’s too expensive. We can just stay with you. I’m sure you have a couch, and can find sleeping bags.”
“Mom, this is a bachelor apartment and definitely not big enough for f—” He almost said “five”. “Not big enough for four, even if some of them are camped out in sleeping bags on air mattresses. I’ll take care of it. End of discussion.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
He had to lighten the mood before they disconnected. “One last thing. Jean-Marc, can you check and see if you need a passport to get here, please. Being from Quebec and all, I’m not sure how well you’ll be received in the West.”
“Me? They love us in the West! I’d be more concerned about your mother and Carole. They’re not just from Ontario, they’re from Toronto, the Centre-of-All-That-is-Wrong-With-Canada.”
“Nah, I’m pretty sure they’re okay, just so long as they don’t have to stop over in Alberta. Victoria is so British that Torontonians are relatively safe.”
“Then I think we’re all good to go, mon ami.” He smiled, and it was just what Jerry needed to see.
“Excellent. I’ll make the bookings and email the information to each of you, as back-up. If I don’t talk to you before then, rest assured that I’ll meet you at the airport. All you have to do is pack your bags and make the flight.”
“Okay, Jerr.”
“You got it, big brother.”
“We’ll see you Friday, Jerry. I love you. We love you.”
“I love you guys, too. Bye.” He disconnected the call, placed the laptop on the coffee table, and tilted over sideways on the couch, into Ana’s lap. “Holy crap. I’m exhausted, and it has nothing to do with being sick. I’m sorry I didn’t introduce you, Shvibzik. It’ll be easier in person, when you can work your charms on Mom and tame her with your smile.”
“I look forward to it. She may anger you and make you want to scream, but remember that you live a long way from home and she is most likely frustrated that she cannot help you in your time of need. I remember more than one night when Mother cried herself to sleep because Alexei’s health was declining and the doctors were less than useless.”
“Maybe so, but Mom has been like that all my life, even when I was a kid at home. She’s the main reason I haven’t lived in Toronto since I graduated from high school. I love her, I just can’t be around her for any longer than a few minutes. I don’t know how Carole does it.”