Mom put rice on my plate, and for a few minutes I let myself feel looked after.
"Any news?" Dad asked.
"Not yet," I said.
Then Mom set down her fork. "Who was this girl, Lucas? Why risk everything for her?"
"Any news?"
I told them about Alicia, but when I mentioned her age, their faces dropped
"Eighteen!?" Dad shouted. "Why would you marry an eighteen-year-old patient?"
Mom put her hands over her mouth.
I explained the prognosis, her wish, the absence of romance.
Dad waited until I stopped. "But why did you say yes?"
"Eighteen!?"
"Don't make it sound weird. It wasn't like that."
"That doesn't answer the question," Mom said.
"I'm asking why you married her."
I stared at my plate.
"Because there wasn't anything else I could do for her."
"Oh, Lucas." Mom's voice softened. "That doesn't mean marrying her was the solution."
"Don't make it sound weird."
