It appeared the storm had driven everyone inside. The rain had finally begun in earnest, along with some spectacular lightning shows; but I felt we were safe up against the wall and I angled my chair to watch the water gushing off the rooftops and splattering to the ground beneath. “How are you, really?” the gentleman asked, leaning up against the wall beside me. He placed two of his beers on a nearby table and popped the lid off the third, taking a long swallow. I shrugged. “Well . . . I’m doing okay, I guess.” It wasn’t really a truthful answer, but I wasn’t sure how to explain what was going on to a complete stranger. Honestly, I was angry. This injury was affecting every part of my life and I had no clue what to do about it. It seemed as if things were crumbling before my eyes and all I could do was sit and watch it happen. “I don’t know where to start, but I’d like to tell you something,” he began. “Your dad was my role model. No matter what he did, everyone loved him.”
