Gabriel’s Surprise
That afternoon, Gabriel came home from school.
“Mom! You ready?” he asked.
“I actually have a surprise for you,” I said.
I handed him one of the gift boxes.
He opened it to find a small toy car.
“Where’d it come from?” he asked.
“From your dad,” I said softly.
He froze. “What?”
I slid another box toward him. Then another. Each was labeled with a different year.
“He… he knew?” Gabriel whispered.
I nodded. “He always did.”
Gabriel looked at the gifts spread before him, then back at me.
“Is he coming back?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “But I know this: he’ll never stop loving you.”
Gabriel held one of the gifts close.
And in that moment, I realized Carl had never stopped being part of our lives. Not in the way I wanted, but in the way that mattered most.
For the first time in ten years, I didn’t feel like I was waiting anymore.
I just felt… hopeful.
