*Twenty-two years ago, I was living in a foster home in Kentucky.*
*It was not a safe or happy place for me. One winter night, I left with a backpack, eleven dollars, and no real idea where I was going.*
*I walked until I reached a truck stop near the interstate.*
*It was snowing, and I was so cold I could barely feel my feet.*
*I entered the diner because it was warm and stayed in a corner booth, staring at the menu.*
*I ordered hot water because it didn’t cost anything.*
*Then a truck driver approached.*
*He had a friendly face, a baseball cap pushed backward, and the biggest smile I’d ever seen.*
*He introduced himself as Tom.*
*I was frightened at first.*
*But he sat across from me and told me he wouldn’t bother me.*
*Then he joked that I’d been studying the menu so long it must have personally offended me.*
*Before I could protest, he ordered pancakes, eggs, bacon, and hot chocolate.*
*He let me eat without asking uncomfortable questions.*
*Instead, he talked about his family.*
*He told me his wife June was the smartest woman he’d ever met, and that he still couldn’t believe she’d married him.*
*He talked about his daughter Rachel, whom he called Rae-bug.*
*He said she was twelve years old, loved animals, and wanted to become a veterinarian.*
*He told me she had a funny little laugh that sounded like a hiccup.*
*He even showed me her picture.*
*She was missing a front tooth.*
I lowered the letter.
My eyes filled.
Dad had been right.
I had wanted to become a veterinarian.
For years, that had been my biggest dream.
After his death, I’d slowly stopped talking about it.
Eventually, I’d stopped believing it was possible.
I wiped my eyes and continued reading.
*When I finished eating, Tom asked whether I had somewhere safe to go.*
*I told him about my aunt in Georgia.*
*She was my mother’s sister, but I hadn’t seen her in years.*
*I didn’t know whether she’d take me in.*
*Tom said we should find out.*
*He drove me to a bus station and asked me to remain in his warm truck while he made some phone calls.*
*He contacted a service that helped locate my aunt.*
*And somehow, he reached her.*
*She agreed to take me in.*
*He returned with a bus ticket to Macon, Georgia.*
*But the journey required a long connection in Atlanta, and he was worried I might need more money along the way.*
*He emptied his wallet.*
*There were only four dollars and some change left.*
*So he removed his wristwatch.*
*Your father’s watch.*
*I tried to refuse it.*
*He insisted.*
*He told me that if anything went wrong and I needed money, I should sell it to finish my journey.*
*When I noticed the engraving, I told him his wife must have given it to him.*
