Rosy and June were strangers. They lived in different countries with life stories having little in common. Rosy was born and raised in Texas. June was born and raised in England.

Rosy married a guy from her hometown and never lived outside the United States. June married a guy from Mexico and moved there to start a new life. Neither knew fate planned for them to meet and face a common challenge.

Rosy’s challenge reared its ugly head when she discovered two lumps in her breasts. Recent mammograms showed nothing, but her regular self-examination did. She was concerned, and so was her doctor. The doctor ordered more tests, and Rosy learned the lumps were cancerous the day after Christmas.

Luckily, the tumors were small. They had not spread to other parts of Rosy’s body. Still, one was aggressive and demanded an aggressive response. The result was double mastectomies and chemotherapy.

Months later, there was good news; Rosy was cancer-free. To celebrate, she and her husband traveled to one of their favorite vacation spots, Cancun, Mexico. When they arrived at the resort, they met June.

June was part of the concierge staff. She was great at her job but even better as a person. Rosy and June hit it off and became more than an employee and guest. They became friends.

Rosy and her husband continued to visit the resort whenever they could. While there, Rosy and June spent time together whenever possible. Then came the time June was nowhere to be found.

June’s absence was strange. Even more bizarre was the silence concerning her absence. She was one of the most popular staff members at the resort and had been steadily promoted. Yet, Rosy’s inquiries were met with silence.

Then someone in management remembered they had become friends. He also remembered Rosy was a cancer survivor. He shared that June had breast cancer and was back home in England, undergoing treatment.

For the next few years, June had to take time off regularly for treatment in England. Still, she worked when she could, and Rosy and June visited when possible. Then, the time came again when Rosy could not find June. Worse, the silence this time was deafening. Then Rosy remembered the manager who had helped before. When she reached him, the news was not good.

To be continued . . . . . .

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