“Why?”
“Because everybody knows me here.”
“Everybody knows you.”
“People see me and say I’m lucky.”
“They say I overcame things.”
“They say I had a good father.”
“I wanted them to know who they were talking about.”
I looked away before he saw my face.
Too late.
“Dad.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re crying.”
“Dust.”
“In the kitchen?”
“Very aggressive dust.”
He laughed.
Months passed.
Adrian did not vanish again.
That surprised me.
He also did not force himself into Noah’s life.
He sent occasional messages.
No guilt.
No expensive gifts.
No demands.
No:
I’m still your real father.
Noah answered some.
Ignored others.
