The C word

Man...
I feel like I've been run over by a bus.

These last couple of days have been (fun, but) exhausting.
However, I feel a little liberated, since I can now talk freely about the thing that's been bugging me for a week now (plus, I'm not upset anymore, or so I claim since I haven't had a nightmare about it in two/three days).

Ok, so it's Thanksgiving and we're invited over to Mooney's (I wanted to link you, but I'm not sure you're be cool with the idea) parent's house.
We hadn't spent Thanksgiving with family for... maybe three years?
We're detached like that (no, I lie. We're not all detached like that. Just my dad's side, since he only has 3 sibling--two of them females who stick together and leave out my Pops all the time, and one male who is insanely jealous of my dad and is always talking trash about him to anyone who will listen).
Last time we had Dad's side of the family over, there was a huge argument... people were called horrible names... and we didn't visit each other for almost a year (we were left out of any Christmas celebrations).

Arguments at family gatherings always occur. They may not be huge, they may not even be arguments, but something always kills the mood (and no, it's never a drunken relative because that's not how we do. My family has an unusually high tolerance for alcohol and they sort of know their limits. If anyone ever crosses the limit, they tend to become really nice and funny).

What/who was the mood killer this year?
Dad and his news.

While my table's mood wasn't ruined (we called it the "80's Babies Table"), the adult table was silenced for a while (well, it was made awkward).
The exact words I'm not sure of, since stories conflict (Mom says one thing, Dad says another, my aunt says another) but the gist of it was:
Dad dropped the C word at the table.

Bloody hell! Your dad said "cunt" at the Thanksgiving dinner table?
God, I wish. The lucky word was: cancer.

Me: How'd the table react?!?
Mom: They were stunned. Just... quiet... like "O...K... where'd that come from?"
Me: Oh!! So that's what was going on during that awkward silence you guys had. Did anyone say anything??
Mom: Just your aunt's co-worker. She asked him if it hurt.
Me: What'd he say?
Mom: "I feel no pain because I have our Lord Jesus Christ in my heart!"
Me: Oh man... what a way to kill it.

So yes, ladies and gentlemen, I can now freely blog about my dad's health problem because he's going around announcing it to the world in various ways:

1) I have cancer!
2) I have a tumor in my intestine.
3) They say it's colon cancer.

etc. etc.

Last Friday, when I found out, Pops walked into the kitchen (I now loathe the kitchen because it seems I get all the horrible news while in that fucking room) and announced to Little Sister and I:
Girls... I have cancer.

How the fuck do you react to that?

Little Sister: (covers mouth) Oh my God...
Me: No you don't!!

I'm rational like that (pshhh. Why must I be the family idiot who's always in denial?? Who the hell gave me that trait?).

So as you can see, I was a little distraught when Dad told me, mainly because I had been the one taking him back and forth to the doctor for the two weeks before the news, and each time I'd comfort him and tell him he'd be A-OK.
And you know, since I'm the science kid in the family, once Dad was given the news, I was the one in charge of... well... making him feel better.
The first few days after receiving the news were the toughest... we cried a lot... and I mean A LOT.
Mainly out of uncertainty.

However... now we're cool.
Cool enough that we can joke about it...
Cool enough that we can freely ruin THANKSGIVING by handing out such news to poor, innocent, unsuspecting relatives who were originally in a cheery mood.

Aunt: Shit... he just wants to upset my sister!
Mooney's Grandma: You think??
Aunt: That's how all men are. My husband wanted to kill himself when they told him he had diabetes!
Mooney's Grandma: (gasps) Oh no! That's terrible!
Aunt: Men are wimps! (rolls eyes)

But yes, things appear to be... as fine as they can be when you have colon cancer (but yes, my head still wanders into the clouds sometimes. I find it hard to concentrate or pay attention to anything. Except yesterday, I did pay some attention to the concert yesterday... and that dude that kept looking in our direction I couldn't ignore as much as I freaking hoped. Weirdo).
Early detection and all that shit.
However, we're hoping (mainly my mother) that my bro doesn't find out until he's done with finals (hence why I was quiet. Also, Dad doesn't want his dad to find out because he thinks it'll negatively affect him since Grandpa's in a fragile state).

At the rate Pops is giving the news, it looks like Bro should know by now.