…and then I’m in bed. Alone. Sobbing.

Sobbing…but not entirely sad. I’m happy too. I made my dad proud. I had him by my side for three years after he left, and I made him proud.

I put the locket back around my neck. He’s not in it anymore, but I’ll wear it always just the same. It’ll remind me that no matter where I am, and no matter what happens, I’m not alone.

I look around my darkened room, lit only by the moonlight streaming through the window. “I love you, Daddy,” I say.

And I know he hears me.