nothing is ever that simple and by my next appointment they are tossing all these foreign words at us. My name was no longer Henri Levitt, I was just some statistic, this kid that missed school and was pumped full of drugs and told not to do anything anymore.”
Maven touched his arm. He pulled away like always when anyone wanted to comfort him.
“ So what do you do?”
“ I wait. I wait for the next step in my life to happen.” Death, he was waiting for death. He wasn’t about to tell her that though.
“ So you’re on a donor’s list?” Maven was the daughter of two doctors. She knew there was a lot of hope for people like Henri. People received hearts all the time.
“ No. I refused to go on that list because doctors said the probability of an improvement were too bleak. If it was just my heart I could come back from a surgery like that. But I’m not lucky enough to just need a heart. My parents gave me a horrible set of genes that makes it pretty much impossible.”
“ But you could try.” She believed in hope. She was a girl with more hope than anyone.
“ No. And I’ll tell you why. When I was in the hospital I met a lot of people. Young kids that barely got to live their lives yet. There was this little boy up there on the donor list. All I can remember is wanting so badly for him to find a heart so he could play baseball like me when he was older. And I knew there were more people out there just like him that could make it through a surgery, people able to accept a new heart. Why would I be greedy? Why would I take that from someone else for a measly chance? I wouldn’t. And I didn’t.”
Like everyone else in his life he saw the look of frustration on her face. To them they were being normal, but to Henri they were being selfish. Henri lived long enough to know what it was like to be happy. He had been pretty happy all the way up until he found out he was dying. He wanted to allow someone else that same right.
Maven couldn’t put herself in his shoes. She had never been in his place before. She didn’t know what it felt like to live knowing you were dying. She couldn’t imagine it was fun. A lot about Henri made sense to her suddenly. And now all she wanted to do was help him make it through, to somehow transform into his answer, his savior.
“ You’re upset. And I’m sorry about that,” Henri replied, he sighed. Maven rested her head against his shoulder.
“ How could I not be upset?” She touched his face. “But don’t apologize, Henri.”
“ I wouldn’t be angry with you if you left here right now, Maven. In fact I would totally understand it.” He stroked her hair, watching the willow trees blow in the breeze, afraid to hear her answer, but willing to accept it.
“ I’m not angry at you. I’m angry at life.” She squeezed his arm, closing her eyes. “And I don’t want to be anywhere, but here with you.”
Henri couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He smiled, wrapping his arm around her.
“ That’s the most amazing thing I have ever heard someone say.” Suddenly things didn’t feel so bad.
Time
She might not have been walking on cloud nine, but she was still in her own kind of good mood. Mrs. Wilder noticed this about her as soon as she came into the kitchen for breakfast.
“ Mom made pancakes.” Nick pointed out, hoping she would stick around long enough to catch the third degree from their parents so they would lay off of him for awhile. Maven hardly showed her face anymore for breakfast—lunch or even dinner. She was completely wrapped up in Henri Levitt . Her every waking moment revolved around Henri.
Their dad took a seat at the head of the table lifting the piping hot plate of pancakes and taking two of his own. He passed them to Maggie. Maggie tugged her ear buds from her ears joining in on the family moment. Even she was surprised to see Maven this
Maven touched his arm. He pulled away like always when anyone wanted to comfort him.
“ So what do you do?”
“ I wait. I wait for the next step in my life to happen.” Death, he was waiting for death. He wasn’t about to tell her that though.
“ So you’re on a donor’s list?” Maven was the daughter of two doctors. She knew there was a lot of hope for people like Henri. People received hearts all the time.
“ No. I refused to go on that list because doctors said the probability of an improvement were too bleak. If it was just my heart I could come back from a surgery like that. But I’m not lucky enough to just need a heart. My parents gave me a horrible set of genes that makes it pretty much impossible.”
“ But you could try.” She believed in hope. She was a girl with more hope than anyone.
“ No. And I’ll tell you why. When I was in the hospital I met a lot of people. Young kids that barely got to live their lives yet. There was this little boy up there on the donor list. All I can remember is wanting so badly for him to find a heart so he could play baseball like me when he was older. And I knew there were more people out there just like him that could make it through a surgery, people able to accept a new heart. Why would I be greedy? Why would I take that from someone else for a measly chance? I wouldn’t. And I didn’t.”
Like everyone else in his life he saw the look of frustration on her face. To them they were being normal, but to Henri they were being selfish. Henri lived long enough to know what it was like to be happy. He had been pretty happy all the way up until he found out he was dying. He wanted to allow someone else that same right.
Maven couldn’t put herself in his shoes. She had never been in his place before. She didn’t know what it felt like to live knowing you were dying. She couldn’t imagine it was fun. A lot about Henri made sense to her suddenly. And now all she wanted to do was help him make it through, to somehow transform into his answer, his savior.
“ You’re upset. And I’m sorry about that,” Henri replied, he sighed. Maven rested her head against his shoulder.
“ How could I not be upset?” She touched his face. “But don’t apologize, Henri.”
“ I wouldn’t be angry with you if you left here right now, Maven. In fact I would totally understand it.” He stroked her hair, watching the willow trees blow in the breeze, afraid to hear her answer, but willing to accept it.
“ I’m not angry at you. I’m angry at life.” She squeezed his arm, closing her eyes. “And I don’t want to be anywhere, but here with you.”
Henri couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He smiled, wrapping his arm around her.
“ That’s the most amazing thing I have ever heard someone say.” Suddenly things didn’t feel so bad.
Time
She might not have been walking on cloud nine, but she was still in her own kind of good mood. Mrs. Wilder noticed this about her as soon as she came into the kitchen for breakfast.
“ Mom made pancakes.” Nick pointed out, hoping she would stick around long enough to catch the third degree from their parents so they would lay off of him for awhile. Maven hardly showed her face anymore for breakfast—lunch or even dinner. She was completely wrapped up in Henri Levitt . Her every waking moment revolved around Henri.
Their dad took a seat at the head of the table lifting the piping hot plate of pancakes and taking two of his own. He passed them to Maggie. Maggie tugged her ear buds from her ears joining in on the family moment. Even she was surprised to see Maven this
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