My 17-Year-Old Son Shaved His Head for His Sick Girlfriend – The Next Day, Her Mother Said, ‘You Need to Come to the Hospital and See What Your Son Did’

the stress, the chemotherapy schedules, and the lack of sleep.

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.

I was still processing the change and how much it affected Diane and her daughter when something else changed.

***

One evening, I was