I stopped to help a woman who was dy//ing on the side of the road and lost my job because I arrived late, but when I returned to collect my things from my desk, my entire life was about to change.

My vision blurred.

I stopped for a moment.

Eleanor waited silently.

Then I continued.

I left because your mother found a man willing to become the father I had already failed to be.

There are different kinds of courage.

Sometimes courage means fighting for someone.

Sometimes it means staying.

And sometimes it means stepping away because your presence would create more pain than your absence.

I pressed my hand against my mouth.

The next lines hurt even more.

I hope you grow into a man kinder than the men in my family.

I hope money never teaches you that another person matters less.

I hope when life gives you the choice between being important and being decent, you choose decent.

I laughed through my tears.

Eleanor was crying too.

Then I reached the ending.

And if you ever see someone stranded on the side of the road, stop.

Your father always did.