Sodom

by Natalia Danylenko

If even she’d ever liked white color, that moment she hated it.
That moment, in the lobby of Oncology Branch, she hated everything. That moment, in that hall, which was full of antiseptic instead of air, she had to take the most difficult decision in her life. But that damned dirty-white was hovering over her painful forehead, narrowing and making her claustrophobic…

“Are you sure?” he repeated his question one more time. Actually he begged her one more time. It was his last hope.

Why in the World did he ask again? Didn’t he see how hard her confidence was? Every minute was like a severe cold drop, falling by the collar. After a few drops she answered: “Yes”. He put down his eyes: “I mean I do not want it to be the sacrifice, which you would regret about”.

*  *  *

She was his second wife. She was young and charming. She was ready to the greatest happiness in the human history, which anybody had ever heard about. Even his five year old daughter wasn’t barrier for her: they loved each other boundlessly.

But the dark times came. His lovely daughter had cancer. Life was leaving the little body every day. “She should be operated immediately” screamed people in white. They spoke about hours. Also they spoke about the flat of her late parents. It was the flat where she had grown up and where they were going to live together till that moment. But that moment she had to sell it to get the necessary amount of money. The sale contract was waiting for her in a bank.
“Yes. I am sure. I will never regret about it”.
“So, go. The operation will start as soon as the money comes to the hospital expense. There is not a minute to lose”.

*  *  *

He returned to the Chamber keep his precious daughter. She finally escaped from captivity of dirty white walls and haste rushed toward the bank. But the thought that she would never again see her home was dreadful. It clutched her heart and sowed doubts. She desired to come in her room last time. Just to say “goodbye” to the favorite balcony view. Her feet turned left without her agreement, and she appeared at home.

The sunset that day was especially red. She was standing on the balcony and breathing a hot city air. Last beams reflected onto the windows of stone houses, and it seemed that everything is covered by fire. Where would they live, if she sells the flat? Of course, a child's life is more important, but ... She remembered that promised to never regret. Suddenly the phone rang.
“She died” were his words.
She stood in unbreakable despair, as if she was a pillar of salt.