Purpose.
PART 18
I used part of the money to help establish the Daniel Hart Companionship
Initiative.
Not a grand building.
Not my name on a wall.
A program.
Volunteers were paired with residents based on interests.
Chess.
Gardening.
Baseball.
Music.
Books.
Transportation helped family members who wanted to visit but lacked
reliable access.
Technology sessions helped residents video-call distant relatives.
The first year was messy.
Volunteers canceled.
Schedules failed.
One resident fired three companions because none played bridge
correctly.
Albert said:
“Standards matter.”
He became our unofficial quality-control department.
PART 19
The program grew.
So did I.
I had entered Willow Creek believing I was hiding from an empty house.
Instead, I discovered grief did not require me to stop building a life.
That realization frightened me.
For months, I had treated any good day as betrayal.
If I laughed, I felt guilty.
If I enjoyed dinner, guilty.
If I went an hour without thinking about Daniel, guilty.
Albert challenged that.
“Did your husband love you?”
“Yes.”
“Then why have you turned his love into a prison?”
I stared at him.
“That is a horrible thing to say.”
“Yes.”
Then:
“Is it wrong?”
I hated him for almost four minutes.
PART 20
Eventually, I began seeing friends again.
Traveling.
Taking classes.
I even went on a date.
One date.
It was terrible.
Albert demanded details.
“He talked about cryptocurrency for forty minutes.”
Albert shook his head.
“You deserve better.”
“You proposed to me as a legal attention-grabbing strategy.”
“And I remain your best offer.”
I laughed so loudly a nurse told us to behave.
That became the rhythm of our friendship.
Albert did not replace Daniel.
He gave me permission to stop believing every new relationship had to
compete with an old one.
PART 21
Marcus eventually asked to meet.
I almost refused.
Then I remembered how much secrecy had already cost everyone.
We met in a public café.
He looked older.
“I was angry at Daniel.”
“I know.”
“He always thought he was better than me.”
“I don’t think he did.”
Marcus laughed bitterly.
“You weren’t his brother.”
Fair.
Then he admitted the truth.
He had felt entitled to the royalty rights because he believed Daniel’s
stability existed partly because their parents had helped Daniel through
college while Marcus struggled.
“That still didn’t make the rights yours.”
“I know.”
It was the first honest thing he said.
PART 22
