His First Love Wore My Wedding Ring

The day my mother got her diagnosis was the day I first heard the voices.

She stood in the sun for a full half hour, clutching the report, before she worked up the nerve to ring the doorbell.

"Son, could you take a look for me? Is this something they can treat? How much would it cost?"

Bent low, her voice was thick with the deference she reserved for her son-in-law, the medical-school professor.

"Small things don't need treating. Big things... there's no money at home right now."