Chapter 101

“I’ll miss you,” I murmured, and put my arms around him, head on his shoulders as we sat together and watched night fade into day.

* * * *

Age 25

The entire town attended dad’s funeral. Marlene had been front and center, beside me. Despite the coolreception he’d received when he began working at the hospital all those years ago, the locals had grown to love and respect Raphael St. James, and his death was a huge blow, especially to me and Marlene. He had been my rock. And now, he was gone.

When Beebub had stopped writing after his first year away, I was disappointed and angry, but tried to understand. I’d known it would happen, but had secretly wished it wouldn’t. He’d probably found bigger and better things out there in the real world, far removed from a small-town mentality, and could I blame him? Still, it rankled.

And then, my dad found out he had stage four bone cancer.