I panicked when I found a biker sleeping on my porch until I saw the note clutched in his bloodied hand.
It was 5 AM on a Tuesday, and I’d gone outside to get the newspaper when I nearly tripped over him. A massive man in leather, curled up against my front door like a dying dog, his gray beard matted with what looked like dried blood.
My hands trembled as I carefully pulled the note from his grip. He didn’t wake up. Didn’t even stir. His breathing was shallow, labored. Up close, I could see his leather vest was torn, his face bruised purple and yellow.
The note was brief: “Mrs. Chen, I know you don’t know me, but I knew your son David. I was with him in Afghanistan when he died. I promised him something. I’m sorry it took me twelve years to keep that promise.
Please don’t let them take me to the hospital. Just need to rest. Then I’ll explain everything. – Staff Sergeant Thomas Morrison, Retired.”
David. My David. Dead twelve years this month.
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