Michael Dickson: Two-Minute Thank You

My dad called me slugger. My friends called me Fish. The teachers called me "smart." The kids at schools disagreed. Mr. G told me to never throw the first punch, but to always throw the last. The nurse told me that black eyes didn't scar. My best friend said she wanted to kiss me. Two years later I met her new girlfriend. The psychiatrist said it wouldn't hurt forever. The doctor said I was lucky to be alive. The voices in my head said otherwise. The doctor said he had some bad news, that the tumor was growing. I told him I wasn't about to lose a fight with my own body. I met a boy and told him I loved him. My dad said that he didn't know what to say, so he didn't say anything at all. My sister told me cigarettes would kill me, I told her that was the point. The boy I loved said he hated me, I told him I hated him too. I told my dog that she was the only one I could trust, she didn't say anything, but I knew what she meant.