Till I Forget About You

Unknown’s POV
I have to tell before it’s too late. She can’t go another day without knowing that I’m close to my end. It’s spreading throughout my whole entire body and is killing me day by day. I don’t know how much longer I’ve got to live.

But the need for me to tell her and not the others is really killing me. It’s probably better to just tell everybody together. But the secret I’ve been hiding from my daughter, friends, and the world is really getting to me. Having to feel the guilt every day I see her. She has the right to know, the right to try to protect me. I have only told one person about this. One person. And I told them the day I was diagnosed with it. The one person I trust with my life and my soul. I trust my daughter and friends, but this person was with me since day one, the day I was born. I wipe away a tear from my eyes. I have to be brave.

I get up and grab a notebook and pen. It’ll probably make it better, since I might not be here for her when she gets home. That scares me. It really does. Just the thought of me not being in my daughter’s life. What if I can’t walk her down the aisle? That was my main dream. To give my baby girl off to her husband.

My hands go wild, looking for the letters I already wrote for my friends and wife. I’ve written specific instructions to everybody. My heart was even big enough to write it to her friends even though I don’t trust them. Just me knowing my daughter would need help every step of the way, every single day. It was me who inspired her to do good in school and join the softball team.

A rivulet a tears start falling down my face. If I die today, I’ll miss her game. And I promise her I’ll be there in the first row. I pick up my phone and dial my best friend’s number. He’ll know what to do. It picks up on the second ring.

“Hello, Zayn.” I said, quickly.

“What?” He groans. I can feel the guilt build up in the pits of my stomach. Why didn’t I tell him before all of this got too late?

“I have cancer.” I mumble, so he couldn’t hear me.

“You what?” He asks. I look down at the letter I just had wrote my daughter. Should I repeat myself again? “This isn’t funny, Liam. Can you repeat yourself?”

I gulp. “Zayn, I have cancer.”

He gasps and seems like he dropped the phone. I knew I should have never told him, but I needed to.

“How long are you?” He finally asks.

“I’m on stage 4. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you guys.” I choke out.

“It’s alright man. Does she know?” I know who he’s talking about. I’m too scared to tell her, too scared to see her reaction to see me like this. But what if when she gets the letter she freaks out?

“Can you do me a couple of things?” I ask him, trying to change the subject.

“What is it?” He responds.

I sigh and tell him. “I need you to keep this a secret. Don’t tell anybody about my sickness. It’s only between me and you. I don’t want the boys, my wife, and daughter to find out about it until after my death. Second, can you go to her softball game tonight? I won’t be able to make it. The last thing, can you please come over and pick up these letters that I wrote. They’re for everybody.”

“Alright. I should be over in ten minutes. Leave a door unlocked.” He says and hangs up.
Now, that is out of the way, I go downstairs and unlock the door. I set the letters down on the mail table. He should be sure to look here out of all places. I can’t believe how frail my body has gotten. It’s not strongly built, like it used to be. That’s what cancer does to you. It kills you and ruins your body.

I walk to the living room and sit on the couch. This could be the last time I sit on this couch.

Notes