come back.
Then shame became heavier than distance.
I watched from far away.
I saw school pictures.
Soccer games.
Birthdays.
I saw you becoming the father I should have been.
So I stayed away.
Not because I didn’t love them.
Because I knew they already had someone better.
If they ever ask who raised them…
Tell them the truth.
You did.
Not me.
I couldn’t finish.
The paper slipped from my hands.
One Last Surprise
Elise took the microphone.
“We’re not finished.”
The lights dimmed.
A video appeared on the giant screen.
Neighbors.
Teachers.
The crossing guard.
The librarian.
Even the woman who worked at the grocery store.
One after another, they shared memories.
“He always worked overtime so the girls could join every school trip.”
“He never bought himself a new truck.”
“He learned to braid hair by watching YouTube at two in the morning.”
“He never missed a
