Native in Pink (The Society On Da Run #35)
By Nipaporn Baldwin
Published by Geppetto Garten/Nipaporn Baldwin at Smashwords
Copyright 2011 by Nipaporn Baldwin
e-book edition (smashwords edition)
2/20/12 © 2011 licensed CC-BY-NC
Editorial
If you’ve read Platonick, you’ll notice something familiar in this. If you’ve read Sex Cicada and the Righteous Kingdom of Albanny and the story Lorea Antabella, you’ll also notice something familiar. This story is best served warm and in the omnibus collection.
Native in Pink
Rena’s eyes overlooked the pastures of the Tuscan surroundings. As deceiving as they were, hiding Italia’s true political turmoil, nothing was more deceiving than the docile cancer on her back. Zammara, a Crotonian-variant of the sexual dragon-virus originating from the waste-fermented subway tunnels of New York, had made its way to San Gimignano…to Rena’s back. Rena wanted to say goodbye to her bandmates. Alessandra, the tallest of the three, was already at her bedside when the doctor came in. She took a sip of her coffee and watched the doctor with slight malice. Maya, the immigrant brunette, shoveled her way through the corridor to reach the room.
The doctor, sighing and trying to be sorrowful, said, “there is only one cure to this that we are working on. It’s been successful on most patients.”
“What is it?” Rena hesitantly asked.
“We inject you with the blood of a Dragon, and the blood suffocates any and all cancer tumors in your back and they eventually die off. It also destroys cells so the cancer has no chance of formulating again.”
“That sounds wonderful!”
“What’s the catch?” asked Alessandra, obviously not buying it.
“Well……………”
“Yes?”
“Well…there’s a mall percentage of people that die from this. Well, actually, um, their heads fall off.”
Alessandra involuntarily spat out her coffee, “they DIE from that?”
The doctor nodded, “yes, but that won’t be the case with…what’s your name?”
“Rena.”
“Yes, Rayna.”
“No, it’s Ree-na, not Ray-na.”
“Right, REE-na. I suggest you take a vacation and come back on Thursday for your treatment.”
“why should I take a vacation?”
“You’ll be asleep for the whole week if we perform treatment on you today.”
Rena turned over, lying on her stomach. She wanted to scratch the bulging leech on her back.
“What will Daniel say?” she wondered.
“Nothing,” Alessandra said comfortingly, “this disease will not tarnish his feelings about you.”
Maya blurted out, “Remember, he has a baby back in America. That’s nothing compared to this.”
“Not helping,” Alessandra muttered.
* * *
“The water…such calm water. So calm and…wonderful…so calm. Hi, calm. Hi, water. So calm.”
“is she still talking about it being calm?” asked Alessandra.
Maya nodded, “yup. She’s still floating, too.”
Alessandra fell back and whimsically threw her arms over her head, “Positano is so nice! I’m coming back here just for that beautiful sunset.”
The setting sun created a truly beautiful scene. Rays of red have given the white clouds their purple colors and painted the sky midnight-blue with streams of orange. Rena felt something squirming around inside her back, and she remembered the doctor assuring her it “is the tumor trying to spread itself.” Daniel was floating beside her, gently holding her hand.
Rena stepped out of the water and lazily descended towards her beach towel.
“We should give one more performance,” she said, “and then we should end it.”
“What?” Alessandra shot an angry look through her sunglasses, “end Native in Pink? Why? Because you’re dying? Snap out of it, Rena. You aren’t going to die!”
Maya whispered, “Aless, don’t…”
Rena shrugged, “it was just a suggestion.”
Alessandra brushed the sand off her black bikini, “I do agree about the performance.”
Rena brightened up, “Really?”
“Yeah.”
“San Gimignano sure needs it,” said Maya, “with all these bugs running around making hives, it’s a wonder everyone is still alive.”
* * *
Rena sang her solo, holding the microphone close and closing her eyes to concentrate on the rhythm of her song “For You, Inside the Fairytail of Time.”
“Time and time again
I know where I stand
I’ll leap across the universe for you only.”
Alessandra and Daniel strummed their guitars, picking up on the riff. Maya gave the best drumline she had as the song transitioned to it’s original pace. The band lent their voices to the night.
“Time and time again I know where I stand
If it ensures me we’ll be together
I’ll take a bullet for you
I’ll leap across the universe for you
Just for you
Time and time again,”
The crowd was cheering them on. They knew these words and sang along with them. Some of them learnt this song from the live broadcast of the Albanny Assasination. Most of these people knew this song before any of that. They, too, let their voices be heard, “I will stay with you, I will be your friend. I know where I begin, I know where I end, I know where I live, I will leap the world for you.”
I’ll leap the world, and fulfill your dream
Live for you
And I’ll die with you
And I’ll take you home
For the end of the Fairy Tale.”
Rena and Daniel had sung the last line together like they had always done. She giggled as the audience threw flowers on the stage. Daniel gave her a kiss, the crowd giving a thunderous applause, and he said, “I love you, Rena.”
* * *
Fontana di Trevi was the last place Rena expected to be. She sat between Alessandra and Daniel as they ate freshly-made Gelato. Rena took out a coin from her pocket and closed her eyes.
“Just like the people in all the cliché movies, I will make a wish at this fountain.”
She kissed the coin and threw it in.
“What did you wish for?” asked Daniel.
“I wished that your baby mama would disappear,” she said.
“No, really, what did you wish for?”
“I wish to live a long time so we can get married in Milan,” she turned to him and asked, “how is Serena anyway?”
“The vampirism is starting to take over,” he said, “but she’ll be alright.”
Rena rested her head on Alessandra’s shoulder and held Daniel’s hand. Aless was surprised at first, but she slowly started smiling.
“Tomorrow, I’ll go for treatment.” She said.