“That man… in the photo, Jess, he’s your grandfather.”
I was stunned, rooted to the spot. My grandfather? How could that be? My mom and I had never really talked about him. All I knew was that there was a falling out years ago that no one ever explained. My mom’s voice pulled me back to reality.
“He disappeared from our lives before you were born. We never knew where he went.”
I tried to process her words. The kind man who had been silently supporting me all these months at Denny’s was the family member I never knew I had. It seemed surreal; like Rose had joked, it felt like something out of a soap opera. But it was true. The evidence was there, and his intentions were clear every time he left that generous tip.
The next Sunday, I waited for him with a mix of anticipation and anxiety knotting my stomach. Would he come back? What would I say to him? My thoughts were racing.
