Annoying allies

I turned the knob of the radio until I could hear the public station. It was a local program, a prolonged piece on a mother talking about the fear and anticipation of her son, a “shavee.” I admit. I rolled my eyes.

It was a story about a teen boy who shaved his head in solidarity with his friend who had cancer. It was lovely thing to do, of course. Yet it was the second program I had heard on the trauma of this advocate who got a haircut. “Where’s the boy with cancer?” I muttered at the radio as I turned it off. “Where’s his mom? What’s his story?”