The TaTa Party

Back from Honolulu, still packin' Clementine, there was one last thing before my surgery. Being us, my TTF had little trouble convincing me that we needed a pre-surgical party. At, of course, Hooters. Since anything worth doing is worth overdoing, we invited all our coworkers and a few friends who would appreciate the gallows humor, and join in.

This was mid September, so with Breast Cancer Awareness Month approaching in October, it was pretty east to fill gift bags for our guests, decorated with "Take Care of Your Pair". Pink ribbons everywhere. A Hooters girl stopped by the table and asked if we were celebrating someone having a girl. TTF said "Actually, it's more of a going away party" which cracked me up. TTF and my business partner whom I will call Bambi brought sequined pink glasses, necklaces, boas, a tiera, and a fake boob costume for me which of course I piled on and smiled for pictures. We had a great time and the very best part was that everyone there understood and jumped in on our cancer humor; were we whistling through the graveyard? Maybe, but if the alternative was sitting in the dark, rocking and crying over this fate...I'll take my friends at Hooters any day.

And the celebration didn't end there. I had been corresponding with a former high school classmate, who hosted me on my runaway trip to Hawaii. I spoke with him after our party and learned that when he finished work, he went to the Honolulu Hooters, all by himself at a table for one.  Not a drinker, he probably had a Coke, and when asked how he was doing, he explained he was at a party. My party. Thousands of miles and 6 time zones away, I had support there too. He hadn't told me he was going to do it but that was so perfect for the situation and participating in my drama in his own wacky way. 

Relationships change. Some of the people who held me so tightly that night are off to their own lives now. Some became even closer, if only because we realized we got one another's humor. But who they were that night and how their energy bolstered me created a lifetime bond. I do hope they all take care of their pair (one friend is a relative of TTF and she did my mammograms) All I know is I entered the surgical suite knowing the outcome was inevitable but I had plenty to say about how I would handle it. 

I never asked "why me"?  I think I knew from he first that I could handle it. I hope that somewhere there's a woman who stayed healthy because she didn't have a year to be otherwise. I don't know who she is, but if it's you, please go do something extraordinary. I've got your back