Daniel was there.
Margaret had asked my permission. Then she had asked the children.
They agreed on rules.
No forced hugs.
No private conversations.
No pretending.
Daniel obeyed every one.
He greeted them gently.
Noah nodded.
Sophia said hello.
Ethan asked whether he had continued therapy, and Daniel said yes.
Olivia handed him a drawing.
He looked startled. “Is this for me?”
She nodded.
It was a horse with wings, soaring above a snowy house.
Daniel’s eyes filled.
“Is this your best one?”
Olivia smiled.
“No. But it’s close.”
That was all she gave him.
It was enough to make him turn away and wipe his face.
Dinner was loud.
Margaret cried during grace.
General Paul carved the turkey badly and blamed the knife.
Noah announced he wanted to become a pilot and maybe a lawyer “in case pilots need better rules.”
Ethan corrected three historical inaccuracies in a family story.
