bam

"I had no pain, nothing to speak of, and then 'bam, I had a mouth cancer diagnosis'," he says.

I tiptoe in that direction, and bam, there it is in the clearing—a hellhound with brown fur that stands on end.

But the rhythm is like music, fast and propulsive, building to a crescendo until, bam, something slams on the brakes: “You eat breakfast?!”

“I wanted to come in, bam bam, with a big surprise,” he said.

Even so, everything was going fine until, bam, welcome to 11th grade and everything you have to do in a 10-month period to ensure you are on track for the rest of your life.