My Father Mocked Me for Coming to Court Without a Lawyer, But the Judge Opened My File and the Whole Room Went Silent

I never sent.

Dear Dad, I made it through today.

Dear Dad, you were wrong.

Dear Dad, I wish you had asked me why.

I folded those letters carefully and tucked them away, somewhere between pride and silence.

Years passed. Deployments came and went. I learned how to move through chaos without letting it take permanent residence in me. How to make decisions continue reading …