Bald

He sat in the corner of the classroom. On the table before him were files and papers with new words he had learned in the previous class. Out of boredom he took his friend's snowcap and wore it.

The break had almost come to an end, and his classmates entered the classroom. One of his classmates noticed how dumb he looked with wearing a snowcap in the warm classroom and said

"Hey, why are you wearing that thing? You look like a cancer patient or something!"

His classmates laughed at him as he smiled politely. Like a cancer patient. It was just a joke. He knew is was just a joke, but he couldn't help it.

He remembered the time he visited the hospital after class a year ago or maybe two. The hallways smelled of disinfectant and were brightly lit. He took the elevator to the third floor and looked for room 305. He sanitized his hands and entered the room.

The room had a good view of the city
and was lit with dim yellow lights. In the corner of the room was a television and a small table.

"Adik makan dah?"

Asked his sister. That's how they say hello in his family. He replied and sat himself beside the bed on which lied a woman in her fourties, bald, and  without eyebrows. She smiled and took his hand, and asked

"Anak belajar okay?"

He answered and smiled politely, gently squeezing his mother's hand.

"Kalau anak sibuk, tak payah lawat Ibu. Ibu faham."

He said that it was okay and that he enjoyed being with his mother. He couldn't imagine his life without her. The idea of losing her made him want to cry, but he held the tears back, knowing that if he cried, his mother and sister would too.

He tried to act natural, as though everything was normal. But looking at his mother in her condition made him sad and helpless. All he could do was be there.

He and his sister sat there, talking to their mum on what could be her deathbed. Not talking about the future nor the past, but all the little things in life.