'In one of my favorite books, the protagonist described herself as a grenade that was going to blow up at some point. She was trying to minimize the damage. I understood that. I know what it means to be a grenade.'
a few weeks after my 16th birthday. A month after, I fell ill with a violent strain of malaria that attempted to take my limb function and my life along with it.As my mother held me on my hospital bed that night while I trembled from the pain of my body’s violence, she told me a story. “Her name was Jene,” she said while the hospital and the world outside moved about silently. She was the prettiest girl in her village, a mystical land where pain could be passed on to someone else.
In this village, however, illness could be given to another person to"hold" until the owner came back to collect it. “So someone could hold your illness while you went to take a test, or went shopping,” my mother said.Jene’s best friend, knowing how much being queen meant to her, offered to hold Jene’s illness so she could join the parade. A now-healthy Jene made her way to the palace where the king, promptly blinded by her beauty, married her. She became the queen.
“Days rolled into weeks, and weeks rolled into months, and Jene never returned for her illness,” my mother sighed, “and so a new law was made — nobody could hold illness for another person, no matter how much they wanted to.”AdvertisementI neither appreciated nor gave a lot of thought to Jene’s story and my mother’s whispered promise until I grew older and moved away — not physically, but emotionally, in the way that daughters are wont to do.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about dying — not because I want to die, but because I might have to sooner than I’m ready. “Don’t worry if you don’t hear from me for a few days,” I texted my best friend after my most recent diagnosis., I wanted to add, but decided against it. Dying from a progressive disease like hypertensive heart disease also means shielding the people you love from the possibility of it happening. “I’m just so tired, I want to sleep for 200 days and nights,” I typed instead.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Alleged KGB spies used ‘dead doubles’ to live in Hawaii for yearsFBI records show that this morbid tactic has been used by Russian spies in the past.
Read more »
Dental X-rays likely to be used to assess asylum seeker ages in UKControversial plans for the UK to implement supposed scientific methods for assessing the ages of asylum seekers are moving ahead, with a Home Office report likely to suggest four techniques despite a lack of evidence that they work
Read more »
Hyundai Subsidiary Used Child Labor as Young as 12One report suggests up to 50 underage workers were employed by a supplier for Hyundai's Alabama assembly plant.
Read more »
Used Kia Stinger 3.3 GT S ISG 5d 365 BHP for saleFREE DELIVERY UP TO 100 MILES. Since 1985, Corner Park Garages has always put our customers first. With two sites in Llantrisant and Swansea, and an extensive range of over 500 top quality used cars, all price checked and AA Inspected. With over 600 verified reviews on Feefo, we are proud of our reputation as a dealer you can trust. See our website for details. Features: 360 Camera, Air Conditioning, Alloy Wheels, AUX/USB Input, Bluetooth, Climate Control, Cruise Control, Electric Adjustable Seats, Electric Adjustable Steering Wheel, Electric Folding Door Mirrors, Electric Sunroof, Electric Tailgate, Electric Windows, Heated Door Mirrors, Heated Steering Wheel, Heated/Vented Leather Seats, MP3 Player, Multifunction Steering Wheel, Parking Sensors, Privacy Glass, Radio, Satellite Navigation, Speed Limiter, Traction Control, Trip Computer 3.3 GT S ISG 5d 365 BHP
Read more »
Green crabs: An invasive species used in local food and drinks to help reduce their populationWhen you think of reducing invasive species populations, the possible solutions can vary. Some local businesses are taking an environmental problem and turning it into something more desirable.
Read more »
Used Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Review - 2016-2019Read the definitive used Land Rover Range Rover Evoque 2016 - 2019 review from What Car?. We tell you what you need to know before you buy.
Read more »