Age.
He moved briefly into Alicia’s home.
Complained about thermostat.
She complained about cane use.
They became parent and child reversed.
One night Alicia sat beside him.
“Dad.”
“Yes?”
“Do you regret speech?”
“Which?”
“Pentagon.”
“No.”
“Incident?”
He thought.
“I regret your mother had to watch.”
“That’s not what I mean.”
“I know.”
He looked toward daughter.
“I don’t regret that it became useful.”
“I do regret people made me heroic for standing still.”
Alicia smiled.
“You did stand very impressively.”
“Shut up.”
She laughed.
Walter continued.
“Real test was Dana asking questions.”
“Park preserving evidence.”
Department investigating their own.”
“Hale eventually admitting.”
“Your office staying out discipline.”
“Those are harder than getting shoved.”
Alicia nodded.
He looked at her stars displayed in shadow box.
“You ever think what if black SUV had been late?”
“Yes.”
“All time.”
“Stop.”
“I can’t.”
“You can.”
He squeezed her hand.
“The story was never SUV.”
“People liked SUV.”
“People like surprise.”
“Don’t organize life around audience.”
Alicia looked.
“That from booklet?”
“No.”
“Your mother.”
“Of course.”
Walter died at ninety-four.
In sleep.
Alicia found him early morning.
His hearing aids sat on nightstand.
Of course he had removed.
A folded photograph lay in drawer.
The old one.
Walter at forty-three with eight soldiers.
Back of photograph contained names in Evelyn’s handwriting.
Some dead.
Some alive.
One line beneath:
He never believed he was most important person in picture.
Alicia cried harder over that than medals.
Funeral was large because Army made it large.
Walter would have complained.
Full honors.
Flags.
Bugle.
Old soldiers.
Young soldiers.
Police representatives.
Dana Cole attended as captain by then.
Sergeant Park retired.
Even Mason Hale came.
He stood far back.
No uniform.
Alicia recognized.
After service he approached.
“General Brooks.”
“Retired.”
He smiled.
“Runs in family.”
She almost laughed.
Hale looked toward grave.
“I’m sorry about your father.”
“Thank you.”
“And your mother.”
“Thank you.”
He hesitated.
“I don’t expect—”
Alicia stopped.
“You don’t need speech.”
He nodded.
They stood quietly.
Then Hale said:
“He wrote me once.”
“I know.”
“You knew?”
“He told me.”
Hale looked surprised.
“What did he say?”