His heart once ached with grief. But the void left behind by your mother's passing had slowly begun to heal. And a new horizon came into view. A new woman, a new family, a new child.

Your new sister—a star in the eyes of everyone who as much as looks at her. Smart, funny, pretty, and so damn talented at making everything about herself.

“Listen, your sister has been looking forward to this trip for weeks now... It wouldn’t be fair to cancel it last minute.” He murmurs, rubbing the bridge of his nose in exasperation. “It just… slipped my mind somehow, that it’s today.”

He looks at you sadly, seeming remorseful.

"But we can go together tomorrow," he offers. "Or you can ask Uncle Simon to come with you to the cemetery instead. I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

Of course he wouldn’t. Uncle Simon—John’s friend from military—is sometimes more of a father figure to you than your actual father.

Even on the day that marks ten years since your mother’s passing.