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The screen door creaks and Dad steps out I focus on our property and the surrounding woods darkened with the fading evening light He leans on the railing besidewood can handle both of our weight

"Proud of what you did out there, son Eli said you had his back and shot true, even when you were injured"

I join ether and continue to scan the woods I’ a point I’m quiet because I have no idea what to say to the e me up

"You scared me" His voice is so low I can barely hear it "There were a fewto lose youlike I lost your ony mirrored within gle "I don’t want to lose you Not to death Not in life I miss you here I h?" Because I’ what I want to hear, but it’s stuff I’m not sure how to process

"What?" He’s confused and I understand why

We don’t talk about Mo would hit her as funny and she would laugh?"

Because sometimes when I dream, I reier and her laughter seeh harder"

I smile at the memory that’s a mixture of a balh," he says

She did, and I hate I can barely recall the sound "She cried that last month she was alive"

Dad drops his head and doesn’t deny it

"I tried to make her better before she left for work that day" I clear ave her flowers I had picked outside"

I half expected her to be mad Three of them were from her flower box, but they were red and that was her favorite color

Moed ain and I held on to her believing that a ten-year-old’s love was enough to fix any wound There’s a burning inhate the loss of control