I made my prom dress from my late father's old uniform - but what I found hidden in the fabric shocked me.

"If he says he's fine... don't believe him."

I continued.

"If I don't come home one day, everyone will worry about you. Very few people will think to worry about Glen."

Everything became blurry as my eyes filled with tears.

"He'll spend so much time making sure you're okay that he'll forget to let someone else make sure he's okay."

Then came Dad's request.

"Please don't let him become the kind of guy you only invite over when there's something that needs fixing."

A deathly silence settled in.

Tears welled up in my eyes.

I looked around in Grandma's house.

The balustrade that Glen had repaired.

The clock that he had put back in place.

The window he would caulk every winter.

His hands were everywhere.

Not him.

His hands were everywhere.

Grandma slumped into an armchair.

"Every year, I asked him if he wanted to come home for your birthday."

"What was his answer?"

"That he didn't want to impose himself."

"And you let him go?"

His face darkened.

"I thought I was protecting him."

" What ? "

"To sit at your father's table." She wiped her cheeks. "I never thought that going home alone might hurt even more."

"I thought I was protecting him."

***

The following afternoon, I took the car to go to Glen's house.

I had never been inside.

He opened the door for me, wearing an old sweatshirt.

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