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I am no longer tethered to a machine. My daughter has recently re-entered my life, weeping with apologies for her absence. I haven’t told her the full story of Marcus and the accident yet; perhaps someday I will, but for now, it is enough that she is here.
Marcus and I still meet for coffee and cards. We visited Jennifer’s grave together last week, and Marcus stood at the headstone and whispered to her, “I’m taking care of him, like I promised.” I know he still carries the weight of the past, but I also know that he is no longer defined by it. We are two broken men who found a way to heal one another. He wasn’t just there to pay a debt; he was there because he became my friend. My family missed four years of my life, but Marcus never missed a single moment.
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