The Weight of Thirty Years
I gently stroked her rough, weathered face as a tear slipped from the corner of my eye.
"Ruby."
For the first time in thirty years, Ruby heard the voice she had longed for. A sob escaped her lips.
"I'm here, Dad."
I gently patted her head.
"You're so much older now."
She had grown old, too, but I kept those words to myself. From the looks of it, life had not been easy on her. Whether it was guilt that had haunted her for decades or the hardships she had endured along the way, the years had clearly left their mark.