“Lily,” Mr. Reeves said. “We need to talk to your father.”
Dad came to the door. He looked at Mr. Reeves. Then at Tyler. Then at the envelope.
“What’s this?”
Mr. Reeves took a breath. “I’ve been going through some old things. From the gym. Before you left.”
Dad’s face tightened. “Don’t.”
“You need to see this.”
“I said don’t.”
Mr. Reeves held out the envelope. “Daniel, please.”
Dad didn’t take it. He just stood there. His hands were shaking.
I took the envelope. I opened it.
Inside was a photograph. A man. Young. Strong. Standing in a ring. His hand raised in victory. A belt around his waist. A crowd cheering.
It was Dad.
But it wasn’t the Dad I knew. This man was different. He was hard. He was fierce. He was alive in a way I had never seen.
There was another photograph. A man in the crowd. Older. Silver hair. A familiar face.
Mr. Reeves.
And next to him, a woman. Beautiful. Dark hair. Smiling.
My mother.
I had never seen a photograph of my mother. Dad didn’t keep any. He said it was too painful. He said he wanted me to remember her the way he described her.
But here she was.
I looked at Dad. He was crying.
“I was going to propose to her that night,” he said. “After the fight. I had the ring in my pocket. I was going to ask her to marry me.”
He wiped his eyes. “She said yes. Before I even asked. She said she already knew.”
Mr. Reeves stepped forward. “Daniel, there’s something else.”
He pulled out another photograph. This one was older. Faded. A group of men in a gym. Dad was in the front. Young. Smiling. Mr. Reeves was beside him. And behind them, a banner.
“Carter’s Gym.”
Dad stared at it. “That was my father’s gym.”
“I know,” Mr. Reeves said. “Your father trained me. Before you. Before everything. He was my first teacher.”
Dad’s knees buckled. He sat down on the porch steps.
“My father trained you?”
Mr. Reeves nodded. “He was the best man I ever knew. He taught me everything. Then he got sick. Then he died. Then you left. Then I opened my own gym. I tried to carry on his legacy. But I couldn’t. Not without you.”
