I believed I had given a lonely man ten days of belonging.
I did not yet understand what he had given me.
That evening, someone knocked at my door.
The man outside wore a charcoal coat and carried a leather case.
“Selena?”
“Yes.”
“My name is Mr. Baron. I was Carl’s lawyer.”
I stepped aside.
He remained on the porch.
“When I met him a few days ago, Carl made me promise not to come back until after his funeral. I knew he didn’t have much time left… but I never imagined that would be our last conversation.”
“Why?”
Mr. Baron opened the case and removed a sealed envelope.
“He said you needed to grieve the man you knew before learning who he had been.”
My fingers stiffened around the envelope.
“What does that mean?”
He exhaled slowly.
“He made me wait until today to tell you who he really was.”
