I looked up at him.
“You bought this.”
He nodded.
“Why didn’t you give it to me?”
The Envelope With His Name on It
He nodded toward the box again.
There was one more envelope, separate from the bundle, with Jeffrey written across the front.
I knew that handwriting the way you know a voice.
My father’s.
I unfolded the page.
What My Father Wrote in 1984
Jeffrey,
Ruth has been accepted into the teaching program. She has a real future in front of her and she’s worked for it.
If you ask her to follow you, she will. She won’t even hesitate. You know that about her better than I do.
Please don’t make her choose between you and the life she can build here. She is nineteen years old and she has no idea yet who she’s going to become.
If you care about her, give her room to become it.
Thomas
I Sat Down in the Other Chair
Tears were running down my face and I didn’t wipe them.
