On Farmer Sue’s Shoulder

I remember that awful day like it was yesterday.  Walking out of my twin sister’s house as my big sister walked in, she was returning from an MRI scan with  her oldest son.  I smiled at her, I felt light and happy as I walked out into the sunshine behind her.   I said, “I guess we’ll know in a week?” and she said warily, “I guess.”

She called me on the phone a mere 3 hours later.  She was breathless, I was clueless.  The next few words from her would change my life forever.  She said, “I’m on the way to the emergency room with V, they found a mass in his brain and they told me I need to get there immediately.”  I instantly felt that awful punch in the gut, the breath now stolen from me as well.  I felt panicked, I felt my throat constrict, my…