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

its watch.

I don’t remember consciously deciding to run. My body just moved on instinct. The clatter of luggage wheels and boarding calls faded into static as I sprinted back toward the quiet corner where Grandpa sat.

I saw him there, still in the same chair, shoulders slouched, eyes scanning the crowd like a child waiting for a parent who had forgotten continue reading …