It didn’t feel like I was leaving Samuel behind.
It felt like he was still there somehow, woven into every moment.
Later, as the music began to slow and the crowd thinned, the commanding officer approached me.
“He didn’t tell you, did he?” he said gently.
I shook my head.
“He didn’t want you to worry,” he said. “But he made sure we knew what mattered to him. You and your daughter, that was everything.”
I looked across the gym at Anna, still glowing with joy.
“You gave her something I thought she’d lost,” I said.
He shook his head. “No. He did that. We just followed through.”
When the final song ended, the room filled with applause. Anna stood at the center of the floor, beaming, her badge catching the light.
On the way out, she slipped her hand into mine.
