Breeze of Life Read Online Free PDF Page A

absence of hair on her scalp. It was a familiar look that strummed a dull ache in my heart.
    I approached her cautiously, she had been sitting alone and perhaps she preferred it that way. When I got close enough for her to notice me, she gave me a shy smile and I sat down beside her. She pulled the small buds from her ears and I grinned at the welcoming look she gave me.
    “Hi, I’m Bree.”
    “Hey, I’m Mia.”
    “You like music?” Mia nodded and played nervously with the iPod in her small hands. I leant back and watched what seemed like chaos before me, but really it was well organized fun. “Me too. Do you play an instrument?” Mia shook her head. “I play guitar and sing. I used to play at the Juice Bar I worked at on the Gold Coast, but I haven’t played for a while now,” I was rambling nervously.
    “Why not?” Mia asked after a short silence.
    I shrugged. “When I got sick I really didn’t have the energy to play and now,” I wasn’t sure how to answer because I wasn’t really sure why I didn’t play anymore, “I don’t know, music kind of makes me sad.”
    “Maybe you’re playing the wrong music,” Mia said matter-of-factly. Such simple words that held more truth than I was prepared to acknowledge. “What is wrong with you?” Mia asked and now it was her turn to seem a little nervous.
    “I was diagnosed with cancer earlier in the year. I finished my treatments not too long ago.” I didn’t ask Mia what her condition was, I wasn’t sure if she wanted me to ask. In the end I didn’t need to because she relinquished the information without shame or hesitation.
    “I have leukemia. I was diagnosed three years ago.” My heart broke at the thought of three long years battling this evil disease. I had been fighting for just eight short months and I felt broken. I couldn’t imagine living for such a long time with such an illness. Mia smiled, oblivious to my internal distress. “So, what music do you like?”
    I took a deep breath to contain my sorrow, lord knows Mia didn’t need it. “Um, I guess I like many different kinds of music—jazz, rock, R&B, pop, classical. I do love Pink, what about you?”
    “Oh my God I love Pink too. My mum got me tickets for her concert in January!”  Mia was so excited I couldn’t help but smile with her.
    “Wow, that’ll be awesome. I’ve never seen her live.”
    “Oh my God!” she squealed again. It seemed as if ‘oh my God’ was the phrase of choice for teenage girls these days. “You should come with us—you and Harper; my brother Jack is coming and he’s friends with Harper. It will be awesome.” My mind raced to keep up with Mia’s excitement.
    “You know Harper?” I asked a little surprised. He had never mentioned Mia or Jack to me, not even in passing.
    “Of course, Jack surfs on the tour with Harper. He always comes for dinner when he’s not away and he sits with us when we go and watch Jack surf. I’ve known him for years.” I don’t know why this information bothered me so much. Harper and I were best friends and we certainly had our own lives outside of each other. Harper had plenty of friends I didn’t know about. I shook the irrational irritation off as Mia continued to ramble on about Pink and how Harper and I could stay with them when we came up for it.
    “Your family might not want Harper and me to crash the Pink party,” I confessed.
    Mia shook her head. “Don’t be ridiculous. Jack will be stoked that he has a guy to hang out with and Mum loves everyone, she’ll be cooking you shepherd’s pie and trying to fatten you up in no time. Come on, pull your phone out and see if you can get any tickets.” Suddenly, I was absorbed in the joy of that moment, excited about the possibility of seeing Pink and maybe hanging out with Mia’s family. Once I reached the event site and found the tickets for Pink’s Rock the House tour, I found a few random seats available. I actually managed to find two seats only a few rows