Looking up at the animated but brilliant crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling, Kendrick began softly, almost like he was telling a bedtime story.
"You know… I wasn't always brave. When I was about your age, something terrible happened to my mother too. She was travelling to visit my grandparents when the plane she boarded crashed. For days, my brothers and I thought we'd lost her to the open sea. It was falsely reported that there were no survivors, and I remembered crying myself to sleep every single night, terrified that I'd never see her again. But then… by some miracle, she came back to us, alive, though with a few scratches....but alive."
A contagious smile slowly framed Kendrick's face as memories of the particular day flashed across his eyes.
"I remember that day like it was today and it has taught me something very important." He tilted his loving gaze to Griffin. "Sometimes even when everything looks broken, and scary, hope always shows up in the end."
