The Lilac Tunnel: My Journey with Samantha

Sleep eventually comes, but I wake with a start in the middle of the night, the dark room unfamiliar until I remember the doctor’s office. Anxious to check for chicken pox, I glance over at Samantha sleeping soundly beside me in the moonlight and quietly feel my own face for bumps or blisters. Nothing yet.

Part of me wants to stay and get to know Samantha better. The other part is “itching” to go home and ask Mom if I’ve ever had chicken pox. I could leave a note and slip away now, but Samantha would be sad to wake up and find me gone. What do I do? The longer I lie still in the dark, listening to her breathe, the more anxious and itchy I feel.