My hands went cold.
Your uncle Gabriel has agreed to help. I know you do not know him, and I regret that. He is stubborn, difficult, and sometimes impossible to reason with. He is also loyal, honest, and kinder than he allows people to see.
For years, I believed I had lost my brother. The truth is that I was the one who kept walking away.
I hope you will give him the chance I did not.
The rest of the page was shorter.
Matthew, your mother loved you deeply. She wanted you to know that you were never the cause of any disagreement between the adults in your life. If I failed to tell you that often enough, then I failed you.
Be patient with yourself.
You are not what happened to you.
You are what you choose to become after it.
Love,
Dad
I lowered the letter.
For several seconds, I could hear only the hum of the refrigerator.
