After My Father’s

Only a long breath leaving a room I had been locked inside for years.

Nora read over my shoulder.

“Well,” she said. “That’s that.”

But it was not.

Not entirely.

That night, after the picnic ended and the parking lot emptied, I went upstairs to Dad’s office.

My office.

The peppermint bowl sat on the desk. The nameplate on the door reflected the hallway light.continue reading …