Chapter 4: Ethan’s Limp
Ethan pulled a folded photograph from the inside pocket of his worn jacket.
He placed it on the table.
It showed a young woman holding a baby boy outside a small clinic.
On the back, in faded ink, someone had written:
Nathaniel, six months. He has your eyes.
My father covered his mouth.
“Clara sent this,” Ethan said. “She sent letters too. All returned.”
My father shook his head.
“I never saw them.”
“Your family did.”
The words landed heavily.
Ethan looked down at his leg.
“When I was fourteen, Mom got sick. I worked nights, carried boxes, cleaned offices. One winter, I slipped on a loading dock and broke my leg. We couldn’t afford proper care.”
My father looked at Ethan’s limp as if seeing it for the first time.
Ethan’s voice did not rise.
That made it worse.
“You missed more than birthdays. You missed hunger. Hospitals. Eviction notices. You missed the sound of my mother apologizing because love had made her poor.”
My father lowered his head.
And I finally understood why he had fallen to his knees.
Not from love.
From guilt.
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