With trembling fingers, Elias pulled out a single sheet of paper. Inside was a dried, pressed wildflower—a purple aster—and a letter written in his father's sharp, disciplined handwriting.
"Elias," the letter began. "I saw this wildflower growing by the garden gate today. It's the same kind your mother loved, the ones we used to plant together when you were small. I spent an hour today thinking of how to call you, how to say I was wrong about the path you chose. But the words feel like stones in my throat."
The letter continued, revealing a man Elias never knew. Arthur wrote about his pride in watching Elias build a life from nothing, his regret for his own harsh temper, and his fear that he had waited too long to be a father again.
"I am a man of stone, I know this. But please know, every night I look at the stars and hope you are happy. I am sorry I don't know how to say this to your face. I hope one day, you find this and understand."