I’ve been working since I was seventeen—same grocery chain, same work ethic, just more gray hair now. Started on the loading dock. I’m store manager these days. It’s not glamorous, but it’s honest. Pays the bills, keeps me moving, gives me purpose.

I’ve made my share of mistakes. More than I care to count. I wasn’t always the man I should’ve been, especially in my younger years. But I always came back home. That part mattered to me. Still does.

I was married for 16 years to Lydia. She was wild and brilliant and drove me up the wall, every one of those years. I love that woman, even if life didn’t let us grow old the way we planned. Sometimes things fall apart slow, like rain eating away at stone. You don’t notice it until one day the shape’s changed, and there’s no putting it back.

I never remarried. Never felt like starting over. I’ve got two daughters who need me, and that’s enough. I keep the house running, keep the store running, and some nights, I pour a drink and remember the good times.

Wasn’t always easy. But it was real. And that’s more than a lot of folks get.