people five to ten years of good-quality life. Many survive much longer.’
Chantal felt her world cave in.
‘I can’t die,’ Chantal said. ‘Not even in five or ten years. Never. I have a baby. She’s not yet a year old.’ She thought of the little girl in the restaurant having her birthday party, the balloons, the cake and candles. She wanted to do that for Lana. Not once, but for years and years to come. ‘I have to be here to look after her.’
‘And I’ll do absolutely everything in my power to make sure that happens,’ Livia said.
There was no way that she’d seen this coming. Despite all the tests, in the back of her mind, she’d still somehow expected that the scan would find nothing and that the consultant would be cross with her for wasting her time. Inside she was going hot and cold. Her brain had completely imploded and there was no space for rational thought. Turning to Lucy, she saw that her friend’s face was as white as a sheet and she suspected her own mirrored that. Chantal tried to stop herself from shaking, but couldn’t.
‘Fuck,’ she said, clutching at Lucy. ‘What do I do now?’
Chapter Seventeen
We’re all in a state of shock when we meet up for coffee the next morning at yet another crappy café. This one is too busy, too bustling, the tables too close together. And, no matter where Chantal positions it, every time someone walks past they knock Lana’s buggy. Another place to be ticked off the list as unsuitable.
It’s also totally the wrong place to discuss the fact that our friend is too young and too beautiful to have anything as awful as breast cancer. It’s too bright and cheery to talk about the bruises on Nadia’s face, her split lip. The man whistling away behind the counter is too happy as a backdrop to Autumn’s news that Willow didn’t turn up to their arranged meeting. Everything about it is wrong. The whole situation is wrong.
While we’re reeling from Chantal’s news, a text pings into my phone. Marcus.
My pining for Chocolate Heaven has reached epic proportions and, of course, Marcus is texting me ten times a day asking me to go back.
Ping. Yet another one arrives.
All the girls look up. ‘Marcus,’ I confirm.
This is inappropriate in the midst of our misery, but then Marcus’s timing was always questionable. Ping. Ping. Ping. I ignore them all.
‘Are you weakening, Lucy?’ Autumn asks.
‘I am,’ I admit, ‘but Crush isn’t. He doesn’t want me anywhere near Marcus.’
‘You can’t really blame him,’ Chantal adds.
‘No.’ Can’t argue with that. ‘But who cares about Marcus and Chocolate Heaven? We have more important things to discuss.’
Chantal has breast cancer and it’s beyond awful.
‘What’s the next step with your treatment?’ Nadia asks her.
‘I’ve got another appointment soon. Jacob will want to come with me to that one, I’m sure. Livia, the consultant, told me that she’ll give me a plan of action then.’
We’re all shaken to the core, not least of all Chantal.
‘It will be fine,’ I tell her. ‘Livia was very positive.’
‘She was,’ she agrees, but I can see the fear in her eyes. And who wouldn’t be scared?
I don’t mention that all that’s sticking in my head is that Livia also said that most people can survive another five to ten years. That’s nothing in the scheme of things. Nothing. Chantal can’t go so soon. She has too much living still to do.
‘How did Jacob take the news?’ Autumn asks.
‘We cried a lot,’ she says and then her face crumples and she cries a bit more. ‘No one expects to be hit with this. It happens to other people.’
We all huddle round and I hug her.
‘It’s Lana I’m worried about,’ she adds tearfully. ‘If anything happens to me, who’ll look after my baby?’
‘You’re going nowhere.’ I’m absolutely certain in my conviction. Five to ten years, pah! ‘You’ll fight this and come out the other side. If anyone’s got the strength to face this down, then
Chantal felt her world cave in.
‘I can’t die,’ Chantal said. ‘Not even in five or ten years. Never. I have a baby. She’s not yet a year old.’ She thought of the little girl in the restaurant having her birthday party, the balloons, the cake and candles. She wanted to do that for Lana. Not once, but for years and years to come. ‘I have to be here to look after her.’
‘And I’ll do absolutely everything in my power to make sure that happens,’ Livia said.
There was no way that she’d seen this coming. Despite all the tests, in the back of her mind, she’d still somehow expected that the scan would find nothing and that the consultant would be cross with her for wasting her time. Inside she was going hot and cold. Her brain had completely imploded and there was no space for rational thought. Turning to Lucy, she saw that her friend’s face was as white as a sheet and she suspected her own mirrored that. Chantal tried to stop herself from shaking, but couldn’t.
‘Fuck,’ she said, clutching at Lucy. ‘What do I do now?’
Chapter Seventeen
We’re all in a state of shock when we meet up for coffee the next morning at yet another crappy café. This one is too busy, too bustling, the tables too close together. And, no matter where Chantal positions it, every time someone walks past they knock Lana’s buggy. Another place to be ticked off the list as unsuitable.
It’s also totally the wrong place to discuss the fact that our friend is too young and too beautiful to have anything as awful as breast cancer. It’s too bright and cheery to talk about the bruises on Nadia’s face, her split lip. The man whistling away behind the counter is too happy as a backdrop to Autumn’s news that Willow didn’t turn up to their arranged meeting. Everything about it is wrong. The whole situation is wrong.
While we’re reeling from Chantal’s news, a text pings into my phone. Marcus.
My pining for Chocolate Heaven has reached epic proportions and, of course, Marcus is texting me ten times a day asking me to go back.
Ping. Yet another one arrives.
All the girls look up. ‘Marcus,’ I confirm.
This is inappropriate in the midst of our misery, but then Marcus’s timing was always questionable. Ping. Ping. Ping. I ignore them all.
‘Are you weakening, Lucy?’ Autumn asks.
‘I am,’ I admit, ‘but Crush isn’t. He doesn’t want me anywhere near Marcus.’
‘You can’t really blame him,’ Chantal adds.
‘No.’ Can’t argue with that. ‘But who cares about Marcus and Chocolate Heaven? We have more important things to discuss.’
Chantal has breast cancer and it’s beyond awful.
‘What’s the next step with your treatment?’ Nadia asks her.
‘I’ve got another appointment soon. Jacob will want to come with me to that one, I’m sure. Livia, the consultant, told me that she’ll give me a plan of action then.’
We’re all shaken to the core, not least of all Chantal.
‘It will be fine,’ I tell her. ‘Livia was very positive.’
‘She was,’ she agrees, but I can see the fear in her eyes. And who wouldn’t be scared?
I don’t mention that all that’s sticking in my head is that Livia also said that most people can survive another five to ten years. That’s nothing in the scheme of things. Nothing. Chantal can’t go so soon. She has too much living still to do.
‘How did Jacob take the news?’ Autumn asks.
‘We cried a lot,’ she says and then her face crumples and she cries a bit more. ‘No one expects to be hit with this. It happens to other people.’
We all huddle round and I hug her.
‘It’s Lana I’m worried about,’ she adds tearfully. ‘If anything happens to me, who’ll look after my baby?’
‘You’re going nowhere.’ I’m absolutely certain in my conviction. Five to ten years, pah! ‘You’ll fight this and come out the other side. If anyone’s got the strength to face this down, then
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