Ashes Under the Willow Tree
On the fourth day after our son died, I decided to end my military marriage.
Before that, I spent three days taking care of what remained of him.
On the first day, I tricked my wife into signing the cremation papers.
On the second day, I went to my son's school and collected the textbooks he never had the chance to use.
On the third day, I prepared a table full of his favorite dishes and begged my wife to come home so we could celebrate his birthday one last time.
She agreed. Then she turned around, claimed she had a mission, and spent the entire night setting off fireworks with her childhood sweetheart.
That night, I sat beside my son's memorial photo and ate alone.
The next day, she came home looking guilty and handed me a brand new backpack. She said it was a gift for our son to use at school.
She did not know that our child would never live to see his first day of school.