Max is Waiting
He opened the small lidded box slowly, almost reverently, and introduced me to his treasures one by one. Among them was a small toy airplane, a rock shining with mica, and a souvenir from an outing with his parents. I listened raptly as he told me how he had acquired each item and pointed out their other distinguishing characteristics. Then suddenly he looked up at me, directly into my eyes and said, “My daddy died.”