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

holding the photo of Grandma tight against his chest.

My father leaned over him and spoke, clearly and slowly. “Just sit here, Dad. We’ll go check in and come right back.”

The words echoed in my head like a stone dropped down a deep well. I stood frozen, the coffee order half-formed in my mouth. They walked off—my parents—toward the departure gate, calm,continue reading …