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Michael looked down, then pulled out a worn wallet with a faded photo of a younger woman who looked like Dorothy.
“This was my mother,” he said, voice cracking. “She had Parkinson’s too. I was a lousy son, always on the road. I thought I had time. She died alone. I never got to say goodbye. Never got her crackers. This isn’t a job—it’s penance. Your mother is giving me a second chance.”
The children were stunned. Legal threats vanished.
Mark cleared his throat. “Mom… you still like those ginger crackers?”
Dorothy smiled through tears. “Yes. And Michael remembers. You didn’t.”
I returned to my apartment, door closed, but I kept listening.
No more shouting. Just voices. Then laughter.
I peeked out. The door to 4B was open. The kids were at the table. Michael was making tea. Dorothy told a story about George, voice strong and sure.
No one checked their phones. No one watched the clock.
Michael hadn’t just saved Dorothy from loneliness—he’d brought her back to life. And in doing so, he gave her children back to her.
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