Chapter 23
August 10th
My father died in my arms minutes after we entered the room that night. My mother held his hand as I hugged his upper body, crying into his neck as I told him over and over how much I loved him.
The days since have dragged by, my mother in a haze nobody seemed able to penetrate, which left me to handle the final arrangements.
And now, here we were at the cemetery, the rain pouring down on us while watching my father’s coffin being slowly lowered into the waiting ground.
Judy and my mother stood next to one another, weeping into each other’s arms, with me and Banner to their left, my brothers and their wives on the right.
Even though I had been there when it happened, I couldn’t believe my father was gone. That the only way I would ever see his face or hear his
