A Little Cancer

The clock is pointed at 11 o’clock in the morning. Mom has not picked me up yet, but I am more than patient to wait. To be honest, I do not want to go. I need to confirm with myself three times whether I am ready to go or not. This will be my first appointment with a dentist in the United States. I imagine how shocked my dentist will be seeing the black hole in my premolar. For me, it is as scary as seeing a black hole in the solar system. The difference is that this black hole sucks in food.

It is 11.25 a.m. now. Mom just arrived. She drives me to the Natick Dental Association and leaves me. Can you imagine a 19-year-old teenager who does not speak English fluently just being dropped off by her mom to have her first dentist appointment? Nevertheless, the first 5 minutes with the receptionist and dental hygienist are going smoothly. It doesn’t last for long until the dental hygienist finds my black hole. I can feel her disappointment because I didn’t do rigorous cleaning. “How long have you had this canker sore?” asked her. At this point, my world stops. I never thought that I had cancer. “Pardon me?” I am in denial. “Oh, this one,” she points to a little white wound on my inside lip. Perhaps this is my first lesson that a canker sore is what we call “sariawan” in the Indonesian language, and has the same pronunciation as kanker (Cancer).