“Fine.” Eduardo shook his head, dropped his backpack, and walked between his parents. Carlos stood up and he sat down on the toilet backward as his father had and pulled off his shirt. “I’m next.”

“Oh, no you’re not. You have the most beautiful hair, honey. Don’t do this.” She smiled. But when Carlos picked up the clippers and moved past her, she nearly choked on the gasp she sucked back. She wasn’t quick enough to grab his hand and stop him. He turned them on and made the first pass right down the middle of Eduardo’s head as he had with his own.

“Well, he’s committed now. You’d better finish it off.”

“Carlos!” She covered her mouth and tears formed in her eyes.

“It’s hair, Mom. Finish it.” Eduardo turned, took the clippers from his father, and handed them to her. “No one in this family does things alone.”

Pride stopped her tears. The courage in his eyes and in the eyes of her ex-husband put the smile back on her lips. She took the clippers and began her attack on her son’s gorgeous hair.

His smile was contagious and so was his laughter. She watched as large clumps of dark wavy hair, which matched his father’s, fell to the ground and mixed with hers.

When they were done they cried, but not from pain, but from the joy of sharing an unforgettable moment, one that helped heal them all.

Madeline ran her hands over each of their heads. “I don’t know that this is a good look for either of you.”

“Funny enough, it looks pretty good on you, Mom.”

“Your dad said that too.” She looked up at Carlos.

“Okay.” Carlos looked behind him at the two children who still stood in the doorway with their backpacks on and their faces white as sheets. “Clara, are you next?”

“Omigod! Dad! No!” she screamed as she ran down the hall.

“Chris?”

His eyes flew open and he fled down the hall following his sister, no words necessary.

“Real supportive.” Carlos turned back with a smile and pulled both Madeline and Eduardo to him.

The strength that enveloped her sank into her body. She felt as if their love was healing her more than the drugs ever could.

Carlos swept up the hair while Madeline helped the kids with their homework. He’d promised Kathy he’d have them all at the house by six for dinner with her parents, and now they were going to be late. He really had wanted to take Madeline shopping too, for something for her head, but that was going to have to wait.

He stood in the kitchen and watched his family work quietly on their studies. Madeline looked up at him. “I don’t know if I can get used to you looking like that.”

“It’ll grow back fast.” A pang of guild pierced his chest. His would grow back. Would hers? “For now maybe I won’t look as old since all that gray is gone.”

“What gray?”

“As if you hadn’t noticed.” He ran his hand over Eduardo’s head. “We’d better get going. We’re late.”

The kids put their books in their backpacks.

“I’ll come by”—he calculated his schedule—”Wednesday after school, and we’ll go get you some fancy hair.”

“I’ll be fine.” She touched his arm and gave him a smile that told him she appreciated what he had done. “Mom bought me some scarves when she was here. I think I’ll try on a few and see what I think.”

“If I know your mother, there are a few in there that are bright orange.”

“Of course. They should accent my pasty skin very well, don’t you think?”

Carlos shook his head. “Amazingly enough, you look great.”

“Thank you for finding that amazing.” Her words dripped with sarcasm, but the glint in her eye told him she appreciated his words. He could only hope she knew the sincerity of them in her heart. They hadn’t been said to only ease her pains.

“Bye, Mom.” Christian kissed her cheek with his eyes toward the floor.

“I love you,” Clara said as she gave her a tight squeeze.

Eduardo kissed her cheek and then pulled her in tightly to his arms. “You’re beautiful, Mom.”

“Thank you, Son. What you did for me was amazing.”

“What you’re doing is amazing.” He kissed her again and followed his brother and sister to the car.

“I’ll call you tomorrow to check on you,” Carlos said, stepping in closer to her.

“Thank you. You made something horrible into a precious memory. I can never thank you enough.” She lifted her hand to his cheek.

He realized just how close he stood to her. There had never been any walls between them, except for the one they couldn’t seem to hurdle when their marriage depended on it.

Her dark eyes gazed into his, and there was a peace within her. A peace he knew he was responsible for, and that warmed him to the core. He lowered his head and gently brushed her lips with his. She was soft, welcoming, and familiar. Her body swayed toward him. Instinct took over and he pressed his mouth harder to hers before retracting, realizing he’d overstepped a boundary he shouldn’t have.

“I’ll talk to you soon,” he said quickly and retreated to the car. His heart still raced in his chest, and his lips tingled with the exhilaration of her kiss and the guilt of the moment.

“I can’t believe you did that to your head,” Clara was commenting to Eduardo when Carlos started the car. “You look like a dork.”

“You look like a dork because you didn’t do it,” he retorted.

“Dad, why did you shave your head?” she asked.

“Why should mom be the only one without hair? It was making her really sad. It was the least I could do.”

“It’s called support, dweeb,” Eduardo added.

“I think you both look goofy. Kathy is going to flip out.”

Kathy. Any joy that had resonated through him from the special moments he’d created with Madeline became heavy in his chest when he thought about Kathy. He’d been so caught up in the moment with Madeline when he took the clippers to his head, he hadn’t thought about Kathy.

Her parent’s car was already parked in the driveway when they pulled in. There was a twisting in his gut. He wanted to back out of the driveway and just disappear for a few weeks until his hair grew back. Would she notice in her constant state of wedding planning? But the kids had already climbed out of the car and were headed up the steps to the back door.