Chapter 62: Chapter 62

"Ooh look a fortune teller." I can't help but crack a grin as I take a seat with the stuffed elephant I'm holding in my arms.

It is not necessary for us to get our horoscopes read at this time. While he is saying this to me and attempting to drag me away from him, he grabs my hand.

"Yeah, we are now seated." I issue this command. He acquiesces with a rolled eye expression and does what he is told.

"Get your fortune told for just five dollars," the ad read. The fortune teller cracks a wry smile as she circles her hands around the crystal ball in her possession. Mark removes a five dollar bill from his pocket and places it in the container that she is using. "Each." The female contributor continues. Mark makes an expression of rolling his eyes before adding another five. "Well, right...," the speaker said.

"There's a chance that we shouldn't even go in there." Turning around is something that Mark objects to.

"Nope! We didn't drive all the way here simply to turn around and head back home." I suggest turning his back to the entrance and dragging him back slightly.

"Please Alyanna. Why is it that we are unable to simply return home and spend the night with the children?" He reaches his conclusion.

"mostly due to the fact that it has been a tremendously long time since we last spent the night together. It's your high school reunion; don't you think you should feel at least a little bit more excited?" As we are getting close to the fitness center, I ask him to make sure that he keeps moving until we get there.

He puts on a false smile for the camera. I looked at him for a moment. "I'm sorry ok. I simply do not wish to be here in this location at this time." He loosens his tie. "I've already described to you the person I used to be. The majority of such occurrences took place in this location. Tonight, Callie and my other old pals who were there for me when I needed them the most and helped guide me through everything are going to be here." As we approach the entrance to the gym, he wears an unfriendly expression.

"You have the opportunity to demonstrate to them how much better you have gotten. You have a business travelling to hospitals and singing with children. There are two children who absolutely adore you. Love is the most essential thing." I provided some explanation on the minor adjustment to his tie. "Not only do I adore you, but the children do as well. You are held in love." As I say this while placing my arms around his neck, he looks at me.

"I love you." He smiles and kisses me.

"I adore you too." To prevent him from escaping at this time, I recommend backing away and rapidly opening any doors that may be available.

"You're really nasty." I grab his name tag and gently push him forward so that he can look around. He glares at me.

"Mark!" I am hearing a voice that I have heard in the past, but it has been a very long time. "I cannot believe how much time has passed." Is it just me or have I been here before?

"The time allotted was not sufficient." He murmurs something to himself under his breath. I couldn't help but chuckle when I saw the remade version of this moment. "Howdy, Calie. You should remember my wife, her name is Alyanna." He wants me to act as his barrier between him and other people.

You went ahead and did it, which is quite impressive. To acknowledge my presence, she gives me a nod. "I'll see you later." She gives a salute to Mark with a wave.

"Food?" He requests that the knot in his tie be loosened once more. I give him a slight nod and make some attempts to console him. This is having an effect on him in a significant way. It is my sincere wish that the subsequent interaction will be at the very least pleasurable.

"If that isn't Mark Hernandez." Sounds are coming from the direction of our backs.

"Roland Peters." "Roland Peters." Mark asserts that we should put on a smile and pretend to turn around to look at the person who is following us. It's clear that this is one of his long-time pals. "What have you been up to?" (What have you been doing?)

"This, that, and the other in very small amounts. I took over the shop that my father had previously owned. I'm worried about my girlfriend since she's unwell at home, but if I'm being completely honest, I don't think she likes me." The dude is seen to have a chuckle. Anyway, what can I ask you about yourself?

"Uh, first things first, this is my wife Alyanna," the speaker begins. Mark uses the phrase "drawing me closer" in the sentence.

"Hello, it's a pleasure to finally meet you," I said as I walked up to the table. I smile.

"Same to you." He nods. "Have you thought about getting a job? If you ever find yourself in need of one, I'm willing to lend you a hand." He winks.

"Nah, I'm good. At the children's hospital, Alyanna and I give lessons in art and music to the young patients." He smiles proud. "And in addition to that, we have two wonderful children at home." When he talks about them, his eyes become bright with excitement.

"Well good." According to him, things are starting to get uncomfortable. It was nice to finally catch up with you, Mark, and it was great to finally meet Alyanna.

After he had left, Mark's attention was directed toward me. "Since you've met my ex-girlfriend and my ex-best friend, at this point, are you ready to part ways?" The question is asked in a pleading tone.

"Ok. However, we continue to sleep in the same bed each night." I would suggest grabbing his hand and heading towards the exit as quickly as possible.

"May I ask, Mr. Mark Hernandez? Is that you?" The statement that was made by a woman is what caused us to turn around.

"May I ask your name, Miss Taylor?" Mark inquires with a genuine smile that is only slightly broadened.

"How have things been going with you?" She goes so far as to request that Mark give her a hug.

"Good. What can you say about yourself?"

"I am currently a teacher despite having been divorced and having no children. What can you say about yourself? The last time I saw you, you were on your way to a music scholarship because you play football and you were in the process of applying." The very thought caused me to open both of my eyes wider.

Because I ended up hurting myself playing football, I came to the conclusion that a career in music would not be reliable. As a result, I switched to a career in business. He explains that I elbow him because of his career in music, which he is very passionate about.

"Oh. I sincerely apologize for this. I'm Anna Taylor. Mark came to me for instruction in music when he was younger." As she addresses me, she shifts her focus to make eye contact with me.

"Hi there, my name is Alyanna and I'm married to Mark." I smile.

"Really?" She asks, sounding a little taken aback by the response. "When did you two get married?" She inquires while putting her hand on her chin and angling her head slightly to the side.

"Well, July will make it six years since we first met," she said. While smiling, I gently squeeze the hand that Mark is holding.

"In all honesty, it's because I remember you mentioning that you didn't want to get married until later in life. You made the comment, and I quote you here, that "if I get married in the next five years, I'll be divorced not even a year after that."" She has a curious grin on her face.

"She was the catalyst for my transformation." Mark gives me a grin as he looks at me and turns to face me.

"That's not hard for me to understand." She gives a slight nod. "Both of you together have a very attractive appearance. It was a pleasure to finally meet you and to catch up with Mark." After that, she gets up and walks away.

"May we go?" Mark asks again.

"Yes." When I open the door, I can't help but let out a chuckle. There does not appear to be anyone here who is familiar with Mark. "And where are we going from here?"

"You pick." As he slides into the driver's seat and turns the ignition, a grin spreads across his face. "Wow. That is completely unreasonable." When I finally come to my senses and acknowledge the truth, I say.

"Indeed, it was," the speaker said. Mark says while standing up and appearing to be a little uneasy about the situation.

I give the woman a friendly smile and thank her before tearing off in pursuit of my friend. "What could possibly go wrong?" I ask him while grabbing onto his arm to force him to go at a more reasonable speed.

"You were already familiar with Callie, but you were unfamiliar with Roland at that point. And that brings the total number of times I've learned about your having children to three. It was completely unsettling." He says while maintaining a gloomy expression.

"It's ok. Additionally, it is natural to feel terrified about the situation. However, this is irrelevant because the destination is still some distance away. Present moment awareness is all that matters." To coerce him into looking in my direction, I pressed my hands against the sides of his face.

He inhales and exhales in rapid succession. "You're absolutely correct, as is your wont." He gives me the eye-rolling treatment before leading me to a photo booth.

We end up taking some goofy pictures, some more... I guess you could call them romantic ones, and one with just the two of us grinning.

"These are very appealing to me. They are going to look great hanging on the walls of my office." As we proceed to the following step, he gives me a friendly smile.

After what feels like an hour and a half has passed, Mark and I make our way to the front of the building to meet Mason and Sophie. "How were you able to spend your time?" I inquire as I am walking next to Sophie and putting my arm through the loop that she has created in mine.

"Wonderfully entertaining. We went on some rides and played some games during our time together." It's all been broken down for you.

"Not too long ago, we also split a cotton candy between the two of us." Mason utters these words while positioned on the opposite side of Sophie.

"I was going to ask if you two were hungry," the speaker said. "I was going to ask." Unlocking the car, according to Mark.

We choose to eat together at home and then fasten our seatbelts. It was possible for me to still consume food. Sophie raises her hand and speaks up.

"Me too." Mason is in agreement with you. Mark looks at me, and I shrug my shoulders in response.

"What would you guys like?" He instructs them to exit through the rear door and proceed to the parking lot.

There's always the possibility of going to Chick-fil-A. I say this whenever I come across a sign indicating that there is one.

"I like that." Mason is in agreement with you.

"Me too."

It looks like we'll be eating at Chick-fil-A. Mark gives it a slight nod before turning his attention to it.

As we make our way into the waiting room of the hospital, my chest tightens and my breath becomes shallow. Mark is firmly gripping my hand and holding me together with his strong support.

After her birthday, Sophie stayed for only a few more days before leaving. On the night of her birthday, the three of us had a small celebration at home with just cake and ice cream. We wished her a happy birthday and sang happy birthday to her before watching a couple of movies.

Mark was still being overly protective, and he insisted that I head to bed at a reasonable hour. Because I don't appreciate being coddled, it can be a source of irritability for me at times.

Valentine's Day arrived just a few short weeks after she had left. Even though it was our first official one as a couple, Mark and I had already been together for four years at the time. We didn't lie to anyone about the fact that it was our very first experience as a married couple, but we did say that it was.

We thought it would be funny to give each other gifts that were cliches in the industry. He also got me some chocolate and a cute card in addition to the pink teddy bear stuffed animal. Because he had made the card himself, it was given an added sense of significance. I found it to be quite delicious, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I couldn't help but feel emotional as a result.

Today, March 3rd, 2019, I have an appointment with my oncologist to find out if I am cancer-free, cured, or in remission. Whatever you want to call it I've come to check out this place to see if it's somewhere I won't be returning to for a while. Not for treatments such as chemotherapy or organ transplants, nor for routine checkups and other medical procedures.

"Alyanna Hernandez?" I was taken aback by the question that the nurse posed. I eventually get to my feet and grab Mark's hand even more tenaciously than I did before. "Doctor Carlisle will be there to see you in a few moments." The words are spoken by the nurse just before she leaves. I nod my thank you.

Mark and I have been there waiting for her in complete silence for what seems like an eternity now. "Hello Alyanna, Mark." She maintains a cheerful expression even as she takes a seat. "I am well aware of the length of time that you have been waiting, and as a result, I am going to proceed without further ado and get right to the point. You're in total remission." The expression on her face is one of happiness.

"Really?" My eyes well up with tears as I ask this question with a smile on my face.

"Yes. There are no indications of cancer based on any of the scans, tests, or physical exams that were performed." The expression on her face is one of happiness. "You are free to engage in any kind of physical activity you like, be it running, cycling, swimming, or anything else. You name it, you can do it." She gives a slight nod and then shakes both Mark's and mine hands. "I'll let you as well be the one to share the news," the speaker said. After that, she leaves the room.

I give Mark a bear hug and turn my back on him. Mark is taken aback. "I have no idea how to process this information." My eyes well up with tears of joy, and I smile broadly as they stream down my cheeks.

"How do you feel?" Mark inquires while attempting to distance himself from me while simultaneously maintaining my embarrassment.

The phrase "I feel like running a marathon" comes to mind. I can't help but laugh through the tears as I wipe them away. Mark smiles and laughs along with me before planting a kiss on my forehead for the first time since we learned that I am cancer-free.