Mariah woke up in daze. She yawned and stretched out. She looked
at the clock. It said 10 o'clock. She sat up and turned on the TV
'Nothing on, as usual.' Mariah thought.
She turned around and lay back on her pillow on her face. She felt soft,
cushiony strands on her face. She got up and looked on her pillow.
'My hair!' thought Mariah. 'My hair. I hate this. I HATE ALL OF
THIS!' she screamed in her head. She let out a loud scream and broke down
crying.
"What's all this commotion?" said a nurse, entering
Mariah's room. She looked at Mariah and noticed the hair and the little bald
spots on her head. She looked at Mariah with sympathy.
"It's alright, child," said the nurse. "You knew it
was going to happen. It's okay. Hang on, I'll be right back."
Mariah looked up and saw the nurse leave the room. She just laid
her head down and cried all the more. She did know that this was going to happen,
but she still couldn't be prepared for it.
"You know, it doesn't look too bad." a voice came.
"It's gotta happen sometime."
Mariah looked up and what she saw kind of surprised her.
"Just go away." sobbed Mariah. "Nothing you can say
can cheer me up. Nothing" Her voice was barely audible.
"Maybe not, but I could try. It doesn't hurt to try."
Mariah just kept her face away from him. She couldn't face him.
"Hey, how about letting me in, huh?"
Mariah smiled.
"Sorry about that." apologized Mariah. "Come on in."
"That's okay." replied the guy. He hesitated for a
moment, then said "My name's Brian, Brian Littrell. What's yours?"
"My name's Mariah Henson." she said softly.
"Well, nice to meet you Mariah Henson." He paused for a
minute, then said, "I'd like to thank you for cheering up my little
cousin. He couldn't stop talking about you. It was adorable. He said he wants
to come and visit you. I'm not sure when, but I thought you might just like to
know, that's all."
"Oh, no problem," replied Mariah. "Your cousin is
so adorable. It was no trouble at all. I just love children. I used to
volunteer at the Sick Kids' Hospital. I was surrounded by kids. It was so much
fun."
"Really? That's sounds like fun. I used to be in the Sick
Kids' Hospital all the time."
"Really? Wh-" Mariah got cut short.
"Well, here we go. These are all that you need." said
the nurse.
In a basket were all sorts of wigs of different colors and styles.
Mariah just looked and stared and tears welled up in her eyes again. Brian
noticed.
"Hey, don't cry. It's okay. Listen, if you want, I can stay
and help you choose one. Not like I'm going anywhere."
Mariah looked up at him through her tears.
"Thanks," she replied with a smile. "I'd like
that."
The nurse smiled at the two and quietly exited the room.
A little while later, the nurse peeked in Mariah's room to check up on her.
Mariah and Brian were fooling around trying on different wigs. Brian kept
making her laugh, while wearing what looked like a clown wig. He made funny
faces at the same time.
'Good thing Brian's here. She sure needs a laugh.' thought the
nurse. She just smiled and walked away.