“Jack would’ve complained before I finished the first page,” he joked.
Instead, Theo shared stories about their childhood, including the time they broke our garage window with a hockey puck and blamed a bird. When Daniel asked what bird could carry a hockey puck, Jack replied, “A very strong one.”
The chapel filled with laughter.
Then Theo grew serious.
“Everyone kept telling Jack how brave he was. He hated that. He said cancer wasn’t something he chose; it was something happening to him.”
He paused.
“But I think he was brave because he understood his treatment might not work, even when the rest of us weren’t ready to accept it. And even when he was frightened, he tried to make everyone else feel less afraid.”
He glanced down at the dress.
“Maybe this was partly Jack teasing me. But I think he also wanted to make one last choice for himself.”
