---

 

This writing was accepted for publication in the 108-page perfect-bound ISSN#/ISBN# issue/paperback book “The Great White” cc&d, v318 (the February 2022 issue) Order the 6"x9" paperback book:

Order this writing in the book Unfinished Business the cc&d Jan.-April 2022 magazine issues collection book		get the 410 page Jan.-April 2022 cc&d magazine 6" x 9" ISBN# perfect-bound paperback book:

Never Too Young to Die

Bill Tope

No one knew quite what to do with
Nancy. She had been in a vegetative
State for lo these many months, on a
Feeding tube and a ventilator and all
The rest, with wires and tubes and
Sensors monitoring every nuance of
Her increasingly forlorn existence.

Her mother, Jodi, was heartbroken
The afternoon Nancy was recovered—
Disinterred is more accurate—from
The filthy tenement in the city that
She shared with at least four other addicts,
Jodi had received a visit from a
Policeman, who told her that Nancy
Was in Intensive Care.

She had talked to the police lieutenant
Who made the bust and he said that
Nancy had ingested inestimable quantities
Of methamphetamine and other hard
Drugs until finally her body had just shut
Down.

And over the years, Jodi had
Been so careful to inculcate in her
Daughter the importance of keeping body
And soul together. She had told Nancy
To just say no. Jodi stood in her daughter’s
ICU suite, watching the machines do
Everything for her. She had never regained
Consciousness.

But, Nancy had not only recklessly
Consumed the drugs, she had been
Active in their production and sale as well.
The tenement had been the site of a
Meth lab. Your daughter, if she ever
Wakes up, Jodi was told, could perhaps
Spend the next twenty years behind bars.
Nancy had apprently broken several very
Stringent laws and her only saving grace,
In terms of a jury and a sentencing judge,
Was that Nancy was white.

When Nancy was admitted to the
Emergency Room, the ER doc, seeing
What shape she was in, had ordered a
Comprehensive battery of tests on her.
To him it was clear that her condition
Owed to more than just an overdose.

Her jaundiced complexion prompted an
Examination of her liver and kidneys.
They had found advanced cirrhosis and
Stage Four kidney failure. They had also
Run a test for AIDS. Nancy’s test had
Come back positive. Jodi watched as
A medical tech adjusted a dial on one of
Nancy’s machines.

Nancy had no living will; it was up to Jodi,
As her only surviving relation, to make all
The decisions. Damn it! Another of the
Army of hospital attendants approached to
Again ask Jodi to provide still more
Useless information. It was an unending
Barrage of red tape. Jodi didn’t know what
To do. All she knew for sure was that she
Dearly loved her only child.

These last months, Jodi had been confused.
Should she pray for Nancy’s full recovery,
Only to watch her languish and perish in
A women’s prison upstate? Or should she
Terminate emergency care and let her...
Expire is the term the social worker used.
Jodi couldn’t see her daughter’s face through
The masks and hoses and tubes affixed to her.

Nervously she worried her Rosary beads.
The Church was of no help to her now.
This was a decision that she herself would
Have to make, Priests and Holy Water be
Damned. But, Nancy’s terrible decisions
And self-destructive behavior had made
The issue a moot point. Nancy was going
To die. A candystriper offered her a glass
Of orange juice. Jodi smiled at the teenager
But politely declined. She feared she would
Turn into an orange soon if she had any
More juice. The candystriper withdrew.

Jodi shook her head in dismay. Nancy had
Always been such a healthy, athletic child.
The officious nurse approached once more.
“I know you’ve provided this information
Before, ma’am, but could you tell me, when
Is Nancy’s birthday?”

Jodi blinked. “Her birthday?” Her mind
Went blank. “Why...” She glanced at her
Cell phone, then replied, “Nancy’s
Birthday...was just yesterday. How could I
Have forgotten?” Tears brimmed in her eyes.
And a heavy cloak of abject misery fell
Round her shoulders. “Yesterday my
Daughter turned seventeen.

Copyright of written pieces remain with the author, who has allowed it to be shown through Scars Publications and Design.Web site © Scars Publications and Design. All rights reserved. No material may be reprinted without express permission from the author.

Problems with this page? Then deal with it...