Father seemed unusually chipper on our journey to Kamloops, British Columbia. There was a lightness to him, a sense of anticipation that had been quietly building over the weeks leading up to our trip – the only vacation we took that year. When curiosity got the better of me, I turned to Mother. Her explanation was simple yet profound: it was about Leo.

“An old army buddy of your father’s. I’ve gathered that they were inseparable during their service – partners in mischief and duty. It’s been decades since they last met, not since 1945,” she told me. Indeed, it had been over 25 years since the two had seen each other.

Father often spoke of Leo with fond nostalgia, painting the picture of a vibrant, laughter-loving prankster who thrived on playful banter. “He...

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