I owe you an apology. BIG apology. HUGE!
You know all those teen years we sunbathed in the back yard. Music cranked. Burn baby, burn, was our motto. Baby oil and iodine.
Or the summers at the town pool learning to do flips off the diving board. Stretching out later for hours in the afternoon sun. Fun times.
How about the time in Mexico.
I know, I know. I got a bit carried away. Tried to hurry the process a bit too fast. Hey, your feet recovered. Although, I think the socks on the beach was a bad idea. Not a cool look, babe.
And you remember our excitement moving to Texas and Padre Island in the 80’s. Even when the kids became sick and bored of going to the beach, we still went. Tan baby tan.
I did struggle some of those years, though, back up in the Midwest. When I only had a few months to brown up our freckled pale body.
Those were difficult times.
And then life got really good again when we went to Florida in the 90’s.
Woohoo!
Every weekend the beach was outside our door. A taunting beach mistress, she was. Such a seductress.
Girl, did we look good then. Tanned and beautiful. Thank you, Mr. Sun.
And then we went back north and you changed. Or rather, The Professor changed you. He hated the sun!
Oh, you tried to calm me down once a year by sailing down in the islands. I despised those sun tanning beds that we used the few weeks before we left. Just not the real thing.
Once we arrived on the islands, though, the old you appeared. No 30 SPF for us. No way. You handed me a 4. Life was good again!
But I was wrong.
And you and The Professor were right to try to change our ways.
Because now we have skin cancer.
The good news ... we caught it early!
The bad news ... we will forever be fighting it!
Yeh, yeh, yeh.
I know what the dermatologist did today. I know you want me to take a good look.
To remind ourselves to always lather up in sunscreen.
Ready?
Close your eyes if you’re squeemish.
Ok, you can look now.
So ... now we have a big 'ole hole in our thigh. It sure did *smell* bad when she cauterized it.
(Actually, it looks like a missing nipple. How weird is that? And those nails could use a little work.)
YES! I AM paying attention.
It’s just a weird photo!
The last one healed up just fine, though. Remember?
Not so bad? Right?
(Dude, do we have a lot of freckles or what!)
Yes, I do remember we have another one to *cut* out in a few weeks.
And I agree. Three in a year are too many.
Yes.
I am sorry I did this to us so we could look good.
But I can’t change what has happened.
But I can do better.
I can make it right for us going forward.
Because I promise promise promise to ALWAYS wear sunscreen!
ALWAYS!
Because I love you and I want you to be around for a very very very long time.
And so does The Professor.
Sincerely loving you,
Your vain self
