"Father, I've brought Hale to see you," Ned finally said, his voice gentle, as if chatting with someone sitting right in front of him.
"Hale hasn't been feeling well lately, so I brought him to visit you."
Hale looked at Jonathan's name on the tombstone.
When Grandpa passed away, he hadn't fully understood what "deceased" meant. He only remembered Grandma saying, "Grandpa has gone to heaven, and heaven is always spring."
"Grandpa," he said slowly, his voice soft, "I miss you."
A breeze swept across the hillside, gently swaying the chrysanthemums in front of the tombstone.
"Dad, Hale asked me a question," Ned stood up, lowering his gaze to the tombstone as he placed a hand on Hale's shoulder, as if speaking on his son's behalf to Jonathan. "He asked me, 'Will Grandpa miss us?'"
Hale lifted his head and looked at Ned. He didn't speak, but Ned knew he was waiting for the answer.
Ned gazed at the tombstone. "Grandpa thinks about you every single day, doesn't he, Dad?"
