55 Years Ago, My High School Friends and I Promised to Meet at Our Lake — What I Found There Changed Everything

"My father's alive."

The breath left me.

"Nick?"

"He's alive. He's ill, though. Traveling this far wasn't possible."

I looked down at the photograph of the pocketknife.

"Does he know I'm here?"

Luis smiled.

"He's been asking me every hour."

I had spent decades training myself not to miss three people because I believed they had stopped missing me.

"Did they ever talk about me?" I asked.

Anna looked almost surprised. "Mr. Harold, I've known your name since I was a child."

Oscar nodded. "Same."

Luis smiled.

"Dad used to tell us about the lake. He said you were the only person who could beat him swimming."

"He cheated."

"I've heard that too."

Eventually, Anna sat beside me.

"There is something else," she said.

She pointed toward the letters.

"Dad never understood why you didn't receive them."