Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all my Irish readers. I’m a quarter Irish myself, and I think my Irish terrier definitely kissed the blarney stone. I guess you aren’t allowed to do that anymore because of COVID-19.

So tonight I give you another installment on the Enjoli saga. After tonight, only one more night to go. I will be wrapping it up tomorrow night. So be sure to stay tuned for the glamorous life of having it all, and the conclusion of the story of Megan the superwoman…just kidding, of course.

Now for five women:

• Anne Frank, diarist and Holocaust victim

• Queen Elizabeth I, Queen of England

• Tai-young Lee, first female lawyer in South Korea

• Malala Yousafzai, activist for female rights

• Mary Wollstonecraft, activist, writer, and philosopher

BECAUSE I’M A WOMAN

Megan fidgeted. It seemed like she’d been here forever, and she needed to get to work. Michael was pissed that she was going to be late, but she had to take the only appointment she could get. She stared at the clock; it was only five minutes after her appointment time, but it felt like fifty.

The nurse called her name, and she stood and stretched. She followed the woman to the back of the clinic, past rows of curious eyes, everyone always wondering what was wrong with everyone else in the waiting room. She hated the free clinic; she wished she could go to one of those posh doctor’s offices she saw on the television.

She breathed a sigh of relief to see she had the same doctor she had last time. She liked him; he didn’t talk down to her, and he didn’t smell like antiseptic. He seemed almost human as he went through her medical history. It didn’t take long. She’d hardly ever been sick. Most of her visits had been when she was pregnant with Mia.

“I…” She stopped, not sure how to explain. It was embarrassing. She plunged in. “I…my husband…he felt something…strange…in my breast.” Why should she be embarrassed that he felt her breast? He was her husband, right? He had a right to do that, right? She glared at the doctor to let him know he better not judge her.

The doctor left her to get undressed and lie on the examining table. He returned with the nurse when she was ready. She shivered; it was cold in here. The doctor washed his hands, and she was glad because his hands were warm as they felt around the small spot on her breast where Brady felt that…lump thing…last week.

“Hmmm.”

Megan didn’t like the sound of that. It was never good when doctors said Hmmm. That usually meant someone was going to die, at least it did in the movies. She hadn’t known anyone who had died, so she didn’t know if it did in real life. She held her breath, waiting for him to say something.

“You definitely have a lump. We need to do a biopsy.” He made some notes in her chart, and handed something to the nurse. “We can’t do that here; you’ll have to have it at the surgery center.”

“I…” Megan stopped again. She looked at him, hoping he would understand her problem without her having to say it.

“You need to talk with the social worker. I’ll send her in. She can help find ways to pay for the procedure. There are resources that can help.” He gave her a kind look, then left.

Megan got dressed while she waited for the social worker. At least she didn’t have to say they couldn’t afford it. Probably the doctor was used to that; this was the free clinic, right? Her legs dangled off the side of the table, and she kicked them in and out as she waited.

The social worker bustled in with all kinds of forms. She asked Megan about a million questions, and punched buttons on her computer. She announced that she had gotten some sort of dispensation…what did that mean?...and Megan could have the procedure. There would be a small fee…Megan started to protest…but she could pay it at dollar a month for two years.

“Here.” The social worker handed her a card. “You need to show up an hour before the procedure, and don’t have anything to eat or drink. You need to bring someone with you to drive you home.” She started to leave, but came back and took Megan’s hand. “You’ll be okay. We’ll take good care of you.” She smiled and left.

Mom agreed to go with Megan on the day of her procedure. Brady couldn’t get off work, even when he explained to his boss that he was afraid his wife had cancer. He threatened to quit, but Megan begged him not to. They couldn’t afford for him to be out of work now, especially if she was going to be sick. He sulked off to work, and told her to be sure and call as soon as she knew anything.

The surgery center was exactly the sort of posh doctor’s office Megan always wanted to go to. The chairs were comfortable, padded and with arms. There were toys, so Mia could play while Mom waited for her. She hadn’t wanted to bring Mia along, but there was no one else to watch her. They settled into a room the nurse called the crying room. Mia crawled on the floor, a nice clean floor Megan didn’t feel bad letting her play on. The toys kept her busy, so she didn’t fuss until the nurse came to get Megan. The baby held out her hands, wanting to go with her mother, but Megan told her to stay with Grandma, and Mama would be back soon.

The nurse led her through a labyrinth to the pre-op. She shook as she unbuttoned her blouse; she thought about the look on Mia’s face as she left. What if I have cancer? she thought. What if I die and leave Mia alone? Will Brady be able to take care of her? Or will he have to give her up for adoption? Would Mom take her? And what if…she stopped, her hand on the last button. What if Brady marries again? The thought horrified her. The thought of Brady being with someone else, of Mia having a different mother. She didn’t think she could go through with this. She needed to stop it now.

“Hello, Megan, I’m Dr. Osborne.” The woman put out her hand, and Megan shook it. “I’ll be doing the procedure. You’re here for a biopsy, correct?”

Megan nodded. “I…don’t think I’ll have it done.”

“Why not?”

“I…what if…” Megan couldn’t say it.

“If…and that’s a big if…if it is malignant, it will be malignant whether you do the biopsy or not.” The doctor understood what worried Megan. “And we can do something about it if we find out early.”

Megan climbed on the table and allowed the doctor to examine her. It felt weird having a woman doctor. She’d never known a woman who was a doctor. “Are you…really a doctor?” she asked.

“Yes, dear, I really am.” Dr. Osborne finished her examination. “Well, it’s small anyway.”

“Is that good?”

“Yes.” The doctor smiled at her. “It’ll be just a couple of minutes now. We’re almost ready for you.”

The center seemed to go into fast forward. Everyone came by to check on her and ask her questions. A young man who said he was going to do the anesthesia. Nurses. A lab technician who took her blood. Another nurse, who stuck a needle in her arm for an IV. Another patient stopped to see how she was doing and wish her luck. She didn’t have time to be worried before the orderly came and got her to take her to the operating room. She started to get up.

“No, I’ll just roll you onto this cart, and we’ll push you there. Just relax. I won’t drop you.” The young man flirted with her, and Megan realized he was trying to make her feel better.

The operating room was cold, and she shivered. A nurse rushed over with a warm blanket and pulled it over her. It felt good. She started to relax. She was starting to feel sleepy. Dr. Osborne asked her how she was feeling. She started to answer, but fell asleep before she could get the words out.

She woke in the recovery room, not aware she had even been asleep. It seemed like only a second ago she was watching Dr. Osborne get ready, but apparently the procedure was over. Mom was sitting in the chair next to her.

“Where’s Mia?” She wasn’t able to speak above a whisper.

“One of the nurses is playing with her. They thought I should be here when you woke up. How are you feeling?” Mom looked concerned.

“Strange. Like I had too much to drink, or something.”

“Anesthesia will do that to you. You won’t be able to drive home. That’s why I had to come with you. I called Brady to tell him you were out.”

“What about the lump?”

“I don’t know. They won’t tell me anything except that you came through the procedure without any problems.”

A nurse bustled into the room. “Oh, good, you’re awake. Would you like some juice? A couple of crackers?”

Megan shook her head. “I just want to know…what did they find?”

“Oh, we won’t know that yet. They have to send the tissue to the lab for testing. It’ll be at least a couple of days.” The nurse brought a warm blanket. “You’re shivering.”

“I’m scared.”

“I know, honey. It’s a scary thing. But you’re young and healthy, and even if…well, even if it’s malignant, you’ll probably respond well to treatment.” The nurse checked her vital signs and left.

“Mom?”

Her mother didn’t ask any questions. She just took Megan in her arms. The women held each other as they waited for Megan to be released.

TO BE CONTINUED…