My Best Man

My brother was in my wedding. He had cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy the entire summer before my big day. He stood at the alter with a bald head and pale face, smiling my way as I walked up the aisle. He toasted us and danced the night away with us at the reception, tiny beads of sweat lining his forehead. After he hugged us and said goodnight, his wife explained that he'd be having another surgery the next day, and that he hadn't wanted us to know about it.