I hadn’t expected to feel so understood.
Nora still has her half. I can’t use mine for the life Grandma wanted me to have. Maybe it can give you some of yours back.
The wedding was something I wanted. This is something I want to give you. You deserve to have a good life, doc.
She’d drawn a smiley face beside her name.
***
My parents invited me to dinner that evening.
Mom served rice, and for a moment I enjoyed being cared for.
“Any news?” Dad asked.
“Not yet,” I said.
Mom lowered her fork.
“Who was this girl, Lucas? Why risk everything for her?”
I described Alicia, but mentioning her age changed their expressions.
“Eighteen!?” Dad shouted. “Why would you marry an eighteen-year-old patient?”
Mom covered her mouth.
I explained her prognosis, her wish, and the absence of romance.
Dad waited until I finished.
“But why did you say yes?”
