. . . (my grandfather) said his father had died during the war. When he said it, he suddenly got this look in his eyes. Like he wanted something he could never get. I sensed something painful inside of him. Vulnerable and broken. Instinctively, I wanted to reach out to him. But I had no concept of the depth of the ocean he was swimming in . . . And so, the moment passed. And then he was smiling again. Back on point.
For a long time after that,...