He sat with his wife’s photo, waiting for a son who had already boarded without him

clearer than they had been in weeks, possessing a sudden, sharp lucidity. “Laney, when they stop seeing me, promise me you won’t.”

I froze. “I could never stop seeing you.”

He nodded, placing a weathered hand over mine. “Then, when the time comes, you’ll know what to do.”

I didn’t know what he meant. Not back then. But those words lodged themselves inside continue reading …