Winter’s coming. Kids need safe yards.
I won’t be back.
—Dad
My hands trembled.
I looked down the street.
His motorcycle was parked one last time.
He stood beside it, helmet in hand, not looking at me.
Just… waiting.
I opened the gate.
He froze.
“You can’t just show up,” I said, my voice breaking. “You don’t get to fix things and disappear.”
He swallowed hard. “I know.”
“Why now?” I asked. “After all these years?”
He looked at the ground. “Because I got sober. Because I finally realized what I lost. Because I didn’t want to die without doing one thing right.”
Tears burned my eyes.
“My kids,” I whispered. “They deserve better than a stranger sneaking around.”
“I won’t confuse them,” he said quickly. “I swear. I just wanted to help.”
