Three Days to Goodbye
But near the gates, David was there—pacing, cigarette in one hand, a melting ice cream in the other.
He looked almost nervous.
When he saw us, he smiled awkwardly. “You’d better eat this before it melts.”
He patted Joseph’s head, like that single gesture could erase everything.
Joseph hesitated, then took it politely. The corners of his lips twitched up, but his eyes stayed empty.
David turned to me. “Vivian… Lucas wants to join the junior hunting competition, but he needs a qualifying score. Joseph already won first place—he’s not entering the next round, right? Maybe we can let Lucas take his spot.”