We pretended not to see.
Then we hurried into the kitchen and whispered excitedly like two teenagers.
They seemed perfect together. Their relationship grew out of friendship, trust, and years of shared memories. Aaron could make Lily laugh when she was annoyed, and Lily had a way of encouraging him whenever he doubted himself.
For a while, everything felt simple.
Then, four months earlier, Lily had been diagnosed with cancer.
One week, she and Aaron were discussing college applications, school dances, and weekend plans.
The next, Lily’s life became filled with examinations, treatments, hospital rooms, and long periods of uncertainty.
The diagnosis changed all of us.
It changed Diane, who tried to remain calm even when fear consumed her.
It changed me, because I no longer knew what to say to my friend.
And it changed Aaron most of all.
He was watching the girl he loved struggle through something he could neither understand nor repair.
