I told him my father had lived another 28 years.
Then I told him something I’d wanted to say since childhood.
“My dad never stopped talking about you. He said we’d have been in much worse trouble if you hadn’t stopped.”
Walter wiped his face.
“I wish I could’ve done more.”
I looked directly at him.
“You did everything you could.”
He couldn’t answer.
After a while, he told me how badly the accident had affected him.
He’d returned home convinced he’d failed Emily.
Cathy had spent months reassuring him that one person couldn’t control the outcome of a terrible accident.
“She told me that if I wanted to honor that little girl, I should never pass somebody who needed help.”
Over the years, Walter and Cathy had volunteered occasionally with a group that assisted stranded travelers and families facing emergencies.
They never made much money, but they gave what time they could.