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The next morning, before the cemetery filled with visitors and noise, Toby drove me out to Walter’s grave. He parked close, glancing at me in the rearview.
I nodded, my voice soft. “Just for a minute, love. Your grandfather never liked to be alone for long.”
He offered me his arm as I climbed out, steady as his grandfather used to be. The grass was slick with dew, and the crows on the fence eyed us like old friends.
I knelt, careful, and set the little velvet pouch beside Walter’s photograph, tucking it between the stems of fresh lilies.
Toby hovered, uncertain. “You okay?”
I traced the edge of the photo with my thumb. “You stubborn man. For one terrible minute, I thought you’d lied to me.”
I nodded. “Seventy-two years, honey. I thought I knew every piece of him.”