All Chapters of A Little Bit of Joy: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

Gemma, my mum and I had gone out to the mall for shopping and lunch. We spent the morning buying different clothes and cute shoes and designer handbags until all of us were exhausted. In the morning, there wasn't any crowd so Gemma wasn't uncomfortable and I got enough space to breathe, relax and move at my own pace. My abdomen hurt less and fever came and went less frequently than before.We didn't go to the food court because of the greasy food and instead sat at a fancy restaurant so I could get equally fancy looking healthy salads. All three of us were tickled pink, feeling overly satisfied with a perfect shopping spree and a perfect meal. It had been long since we three had spent such an exuberant day together without quarelling and just us- mum and her daughters. I had stuck to Gemma all day, making up for all those times when I had deserted her."Why did you buy so much yellow?" I heard Gemma ask from behind. We were on our way home now, mum driving the car, I seated beside her

Third Person's POV [Logan's POV]"Logan you have shown a remarkable improvement this summer," his counselor, David praised as he flipped through his reports. "How are you feeling?""I'm good." Logan fought the urge to smile as he thought about how the summer had changed him. "I'm feeling hopeful.""That's great, is there any particular reason for it?""I reconnected with my old friends and made some new friends too. You remember the girl I told you about." Logan gazed at David expectantly and the older man smiled."Yes I remember her. What was her name again-ah, Joy Jones." He adjusted his glasses and looked up from the papers. "How are things going on with you two?""We're dating," Logan blurted out purposely to analyse his counselor's reaction. However, David's face was passive. "We don't have much time though. She has cancer, I had told you earlier and . . . " Logan tugged at his sleeves as David simply observed him. "I wanted to know if-if we're making a mistake."The counselor wa

I had been cooped up in my room from the past three days doing the only disgusting thing my body allowed me to do- throw up. Any food that went in my stomach came out within minutes with it's consistency changed. So I didn't eat anything and drank liquids as much as I could (without puking it out) since I couldn't risk dying of dehydration.My mum was home all day tending to my needs. She would check my temperature constantly, give me food and medicines at the correct time, frequently clean the vomit filled bucket, help me get to the bathroom and change my clothes, change my bedsheets, put a mild air freshener so I didn't feel suffocated and still managed to do the regular chores of the house. The sentimental part of me didn't want to leave home, but the rational part of me knew that once I shifted to the hospice care centre, my mum primarily wouldn't have to be my carer. She could be free.Logan dropped by whenever he was free from his jobs and helped my mum around. He would give me

Uncle Desmond asked me to dance so I danced with him. My body was stiff and my head was spinning since I couldn't stop thinking about Logan. He worried me to extents that I never knew I possessed- the care, the protection, the love for him was overflowing my boundaries. All I wanted was to run into his arms even when he confused the hell out of me.But as Uncle Desmond whirled me around, my anxiety started to dissolve slowly. The music calmed my nerves and I found myself focus on his smiling, wrinkly face. He asked me over the booming of the song, "What's the matter with the lad?""Do you mean Logan?" My forehead creased as his smile only widened. "How did you know?""That look of despair, I have seen it a million times on young faces like yours," he said wisely.I was partly awed as I nodded. "It is him . . . Well, he's acting strange and I don't like it. He's never been so ambiguous since t-the early days. He shares everything with me, but now I don't know what's bothering him. Did

I knocked on Gemma's door, drawing her attention to me. She was hunched over her desk and as I advanced towards her, she scrambled from her chair. She was trying to cover a paper on the desk and her eyes were wide in alarm. I smoothly took the paper from her before she could oppose, suspicious of what she was doing.I was awed by what I saw- a simple half-finished painting of a seashore with an orange sky filled with stars."Give it back," Gemma said flatly.I gushed in delight, "It's sooo good Gem!""You're not supposed to see it," she said loudly, reaching for the paper and I let her take it. "You shouldn't have seen it."My forehead creased in confusion. "Why?""I was making it for you as a surprise," she admitted, her gaze averted to the floor. "Maa said it would be a good idea.""It's okay---""No, it's not okay," she interrupted impatiently. "I wanted to do something for you and you ruined it.""I'm sorry, I didn't know." I gave her a helpless look. "You can still finish the pai