“Hello you guys!” Bette greeted happily as she opened the door for her guests at the door. But there were only sounds of crickets as Carmen, Shane and Jenny stared hard at her, jaws agape.


“What is that thing on her head?” Jenny whispered to Shane. Carmen leaned in and offered, “I think they are feelers.”


“Wha? As in cockroach feelers!?” The confusion on Shane’s face was priceless.


“They are Martian feelers, Angie loved them so we had to get them. So be nice!” Bette stated, not without annoyance. The three of them started laughing at the cheesiness of Bette’s new look and they couldn’t stop laughing even as they made their way into the house.


They laughed even harder when they found Tina and Kit sporting the same accessory and the laughter nearly turned into a hysterical fit, with Shane squatting on the floor trying to regain her breathing.


But when Kit walked over and handed them a set of feelers each, in horrendous shades of colors, the laughter died as rapidly as it came.


“Haven’t you heard? The party theme is Martians.” Kit raised a serve-you-right eyebrow at them.


“Aren’t girls suppose to be from Venus anyway? At least no stupid feelers there.” Shane grumbled as she took one set from Kit and put it on. Carmen placed a hand sympathetically on Shane’s cheek and flashed her a big smile. She couldn’t resist it when Shane was looking so cute with the added goofiness.


“Come, help me put mine on in the bathroom.” Carmen teased as she led her grumbling girlfriend by hand. Shane flashed a seductive smile at Carmen and got a teasing kiss as a reward.


“No quickie in my bathroom, you hear me!” Tina caught the look in Shane’s eyes and managed to get her instruction in before Carmen laughingly closed the door.



———————————————–


As soon as the door closed, Shane gathered Carmen into her arms and brought her lips in. The kiss lasted several minutes before Carmen murmured smilingly into the kiss, “Didn’t you hear what Tina said?”


Shane only grinned as she continued her assault on her girlfriend’s bottom lip. “Isn’t that why you brought me in here.” Carmen had to laugh as she eagerly returned the kiss.


When the finally pulled apart from need of air, Carmen pushed at Shane’s shoulders lightly. “No I wanted you to help me put the feelers on.”


“***** the feelers. The lips are aching and in need now.” Shane said huskily as she brought her face back down for another kiss. Carmen obliged but she pulled away before Shane had the chance to deepen the kiss.


She looked into Shane’s eyes lovingly and then planted a kiss on her nose before turning to face the mirror. “Come’n, help me with the feelers.”


“Mmmm” was Shane’s reply as she put her arms around Carmen’s waist and nuzzled at her neck.


Carmen gathered her hair up and ran her fingers through her them. Shane continued nuzzling happily until she spotted a lump of brown mess on Carmen’s hand as Carmen pulled her hand out of her hair. Stiffening immediately, she straighten and leaned over to take a proper look at the mess.


In Carmen’s hand was a whole lump of hair that had fallen off as Carmen ran her hands through her hair. Bringing her eyes back up to their reflection in the mirror, Carmen could see the look of horror in Shane’s eyes. She lifted the corners of her lips sadly as she bended to dispose of the mess in the toilet bowl.


“Wha.. what” Shane couldn’t find the right words to say. She had noticed that Carmen’s luscious hair didn’t looked as full as it had been, but she had put that down to ‘no proper care’. Why hadn’t she realized that it was because Carmen was losing her hair fast.


Seeing how her girlfriend had nearly gone into shock. Carmen turned and stroked Shane’s face. “Shane, it’s okay.” Carmen shrugged, “It’s been falling out since Chemo started. Just not as quick or as obvious as Charmaine’s. And I hide the bald patches well.”


Shane pulled Carmen in tightly for a hug, burying her face in the nape of her girlfriend’s shoulder. The tears came and Shane willed them away, promising herself not to cry in front of her girlfriend.


But just thinking of how Carmen was dealing with this all alone was enough to make her heart ache. She knew how much Carmen had loved her hair, and how much time Carmen spent taking care of it. It pained her to know that Carmen had been keeping this a secret for so long. This pain turned to anger when she faulted Carmen for the same reason. Stepping away from her girlfriend, Shane leaned on the wall as she murmured accusingly.


“Why didn’t you tell me?”


“There’s nothing to tell. This is a side effect of chemotherapy and I have accepted it when I accepted the treatment. Carmen shrugged again. She extended her arms to hold Shane’s hands, desperate to stay connected to her girlfriend.


“You should have told me.” Shane grumbled but she didn’t reject Carmen’s hands, rubbing her fingers along the length of the latina’s palm. She was hurt that Carmen didn’t tell her, but at the same time, she understood why Carmen would keep it away from her, Carmen would want to stay normal as long as she could and telling her about the hair loss would turn her into a freak prematurely.


Carmen gave Shane’s hands a tuck to lift her away from the wall and drew her back into her arms. Grateful to have such a loving girlfriend, she rested her head securely on Shane’s shoulder as she whispered lightly.


“I promise you that you would be the first to know if anything happens.” Carmen planted a kiss on the pale woman’s jawline as if cementing her promise.





“Then would you tell me what had been bothering you?”


Carmen stiffen in Shane’s arm and paused like that for a moment before drawing away and turning back to the mirror.


“Been hiding the bald patches very well, haven’t I?” Carmen was definitely avoiding the question again. Staring grimly at the mirror reflection, Shane contemplated pursuing the question. Instead, she sighed sadly and decided to drop the subject. ‘She would tell me when she is ready’ Shane believed.


“Never noticed!” Shane agreed, attempting a weak smile.


If Carmen had heard the sadness in Shane’s voice, she had chosen to ignore it. “Well, I can’t hide them much longer baby, would you cut my hair for me?”


“Sure Peach, whenever you want.” Shane’s eyes turned red again. She was sad that she wouldn’t be able to run her hands in her girlfriend’s long beautiful hair, she was sad that Chemotherapy was destroying her girlfriend bit by bit, but mostly she was sad because of what Carmen had to endure that she couldn’t even begin to comprehend.


“Aww, baby, don’t cry” Carmen wiped the tears from Shane’s cheeks.


Shane sniffed her tears in. Between the two of them, they had probably cried a river, and much more heartache was still to come. Shane smiled as she gazed into the concerned brown eyes. ‘I should be comforting her, not the other way.’ She thought as she lifted her arm to wipe off the tears.


“I love you, Carmen.”
Carmen flashed a brilliant smile at Shane and stroked her cheek. Confident of Shane’s love for her, she decided to tease a little.


“Shane, would you still love me if I go bald?


Shane laughed weakly, “It might be a new trend setting look.”


Carmen giggled as she turned back to look at their reflection. She sighed as she leaned her head on Shane’s shoulder.


“You will love me even without my looong, LUSCIOUS hair?”


“Even without.”


“Even if I were to look like a Buddhist nun?”


“That would be quite hot!” Shane pretended to fantasize.


“Even if I would look more butchy than you?”


“Hmm, now that is a thought, only if you don’t try to act all male dominating on me.” Shane jests and darted away as Carmen brought her hands up to tickle her.




They were still laughing and tickling around in the bathroom as they heard a loud pounding on the door.


“I hope you are not making out in there! I will kill you if you were!” Bette screamed desperatedly. Knowing them too well, Bette knew there was a possibility of it, but her real concern was if Carmen was okay in there. Shane had made them promise not to mention the illness and so Bette tried another way of checking them.


“Be out in a sec, Bette.” Shane shouted back as Carmen stuck out her tongue. She quickly adjusted her hair and placed the feelers straight again and then helped Carmen put hers on.



Satisfied at the image of the cute Martian couple that they were, they walked out of the toilet hand in hand.