***
One day, Lily and Aaron were arguing about prom themes, talking about college plans and weekend dates, and the next, she was spending her time in hospitals and treatment rooms. Most days, Lily could be found sitting in a treatment chair with a port in her chest.
It was devastating news for everyone, but especially for my son. I could see how much it hurt him to watch someone he loved go through something he couldn’t fix.
Still, he never pulled away.
***
Aaron visited his girlfriend every day he could, brought her favorite snacks, helped her with schoolwork, watched bad movies with her, and spent countless hours by her side until she fell asleep. Family& Relationships
***
“You’re going again today?” I asked, although I already knew.
“She’s having a rough week,” my son said, zipping the bag. “I told her I’d be there by four.”
I nodded and reached for my coffee.
“Tell Diane I said hi. I texted her yesterday, and she barely wrote back,” I told my son.
Aaron paused, just for a second.
“I know, baby.”
But I’d noticed.
My best friend’s replies had been shrinking for weeks. A thumbs-up where there used to be a paragraph. A “k” where there used to be a phone call. I told myself it was the stress, the chemotherapy schedules, and the lack of sleep. UsedVehicles
After all, grieving mothers don’t owe anyone small talk.
***
Aaron kissed the top of my head, which still felt new and lovely, and grabbed his keys.
“Drive carefully,” I said.
“Always.”
I watched him from the window as he climbed into his old Civic.
The car pulled away, and the house felt quieter than it should have. Something, I realized, had been building for a while now. I just didn’t know yet what it was.
***
Then Lily’s treatments started taking a visible toll.
She began losing her hair. Even when she tried to be brave about it, everyone could see how much it affected her. BiologicalSciences
I was still processing the change and how much it affected Diane and her daughter when something else changed.
***
One evening, I was folding laundry in the living room when I heard Aaron’s footsteps on the stairs. Something about the rhythm felt different: slower and deliberate. I looked up, and the basket slipped from my hands!
My son’s head was completely shaved! Not trimmed or buzzed short, but smooth, pale, and unfamiliar under the lamplight.
“Aaron,” I breathed as he came downstairs. “What did you do?”
He ran a hand over his scalp, almost shy.
“A little? Honey, your hair! Why?” I stepped closer, reaching up before I could stop myself, my palm finding the cool, strange skin where his curls used to be.
Aaron didn’t pull away. He just watched me with those steady brown eyes that had always seemed older than his years. Dictionaries& Encyclopedias
“Mom, Lily is losing hers in clumps now,” he said quietly. “She tried to laugh about it last week, but I caught her crying in the bathroom when she thought I’d gone to get coffee.”
My throat tightened. I lowered my hand.
