[ WP ] Start as a comedy , then end as a tragedy .

“ You have cancer aids ”, Julia said as she looked solemnly at her sheet. “ Yup, definitely cancer aids. ” Tim froze. He had never heard of the term, and was not sure how to react. After gathering his thoughts, he asked, “ Cancer aids? Is that even a real thing? ” 
 
 “ It is! I ’ m the doctor, so I know what I ’ m talking about. ” 
 
 “ Sigh, okay. What do I do now? ” 
 
 “ Well, I will be treating you for it. During this process, you will go bald and you may feel tired most of the time. Here, we ’ ll start right away. Take this pill. ” 
 
 Tim, ever the precocious 7 year-old, popped the pretend pill and washed it down with some pretend water without further questions. He liked Julia, their neighbor ’ s daughter. She was a year older than he was, and his best friend. They had been neighbors for about 5 years now, having grown inseparable over that period, with their families having scheduled numerous play-dates, weekend picnics and the occasional trip together. 
 
 The outings seemed to have dwindled over the last few months, and he had come over to visit Julia often, mostly having found her lying in bed with medical apparatus and other supplies he did not recognize. “ Now that you are treating me for cancer aids, we can both be bald together ”, Tim said, smiling. Julia nodded, and smiled back weakly. 

