American Charity by Jenny Forrester
“not because it’s unique that I gave up a kidney”
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The kidney-donation story was written up in the paper, not because it’s unique that I gave up a kidney for a stranger, but that I also gave up a piece of my liver, some bone marrow, lots of blood, some skin, a bucket load of ovaries and had a baby for someone and so that kidney seemed significant. And I’m a lesbian so it added to the human-interest storyline.
My girlfriend was lying on the floor, curled up. That’s what she does. She goes fetal. That’s her defense against me. It works because I really do have a soft heart. I had hit her, not very hard, but there she was – on the floor.
She started crying and I said, “What can I do to make you stop crying?”
She didn’t speak. So I said, “How ‘bout if I give up a kidney? Will that make you stop crying?”
She looked at me, sat straight up and with a voice of gravel and tears, said, “Yes.”
We went into the bedroom and made love and then I got online and found a way to donate a kidney.
That was our pattern.
I really should get control of my temper.
I don’t have many organs left to give and I’m too old to have any more babies.
I think my girlfriend is trying to kill me.
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Header photo courtesy of photographer Feliz Paloma Gonzalez. To view his photo essay "Forest Skin" on NAILED, go here.
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