Free from Purgatory
I knew my father’s life was ending when he heard helicopters overhead and welcomed soldiers only he could see. All night, I listened to him talk with shadows he knew before I was born. First, his sister. Then, his parents. His longest conversation was with Private Roberts. “I have been waiting for this for so long, ever since I’ve been shot down,” he, a Vietnam vet, said. My father’s love had always felt like a void. That night, I saw what was taken from him, not what he couldn’t give to me. In his death, I understood his love. — Ann Weissman
Our Silver Jubilee
“I decided something,” I said as Alyssa and I sipped mimosas in the airport lounge. “Italy is our silver jubilee.” I discovered the term in a Wiki spiral: A silver jubilee is a joyous 25th celebration. In our case, not of marriage, but of our number of years on earth. Alyssa laughed, and we toasted an honest friendship that makes earth fun. We clinked glasses as if on honeymoon, in our case, of a straight wife and a gay husband. Italy is 25. Japan will be 50. — Jack MacDonald
First Love Never Dies
Two days after Christmas, Maxwell called. “Might drop dead tomorrow,” he said. A loud-talking, adorable joker from Jersey, he’d hired me as a deckhand narrating Seattle boat tours in 1996. We fell in love, felt invincible with the Space Needle and Kurt Cobain’s house in the distance. Fast forward to Parkinson’s, heart failure, a D.N.R. “One to 10, how scared are you?” I asked. “Seven,” he replied. My heart dropped. “Do you still believe in God?” I asked. “Tell you tomorrow,” he joked, and we laughed ourselves breathless. “I love you forever,” I said. It’s always been true. — Nicole Hardy
Twin Commencements
My younger sister, Mythili, recently got into college in the U.S. It’s terrifying and heartwarming to think that I’ll vicariously relive undergrad through the cooler, funnier version of myself. I don’t know if she’ll immediately enjoy the move from Singapore or if she’ll ease into an American college with time. I am certain, however, that she is far more prepared to set out into the world than I ever was. My graduation and her move-in date are just months apart. As I realize that I’m not ready for these days to be over, here she comes: my second, better chance. — Nandini Ganesh
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