Just minutes earlier, I’d been thinking about asking Theo to leave.
Now I realized he’d been sitting quietly among us, terrified that honoring his friend’s final request might hurt the people he loved.
I stood and walked toward the podium.
Theo froze.
For a second, he seemed to think I was coming to stop his speech.
Instead, I wrapped my arms around him.
He was taller than me now.
I remembered the little boy who’d once arrived at our house with missing front teeth and muddy sneakers.
Now he bent toward me and began sobbing.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
I held him tighter.
“You have nothing to apologize for.”
“I should have explained.”
“You’re explaining now.”
“I didn’t want to upset you.”
“You haven’t.”
I gently touched his shoulder.
“Please finish, Theo. Tell us what Jack wanted everyone to hear.”
He nodded.
