Then I walked out, and Barry must’ve left, cause he wasn’t around when I returned.
I barely slept that night.
Memories of my son haunted me. But Barry also featured. I thought about everything he’d told us.
“So you lied instead?”
When morning came, I drove to the store as per usual.
Barry was already there. When he saw me, he looked nervous.
“Morning,” he said quietly.
“Come with me,” I replied.
We stepped into the office.
I sat down.
“Do you know why I hired you?”
He shook his head.
“Because you looked like my son,” I said.
His eyes widened.
Barry was already there.
“Same name and age. It felt like fate,” I continued. “I never told Karen, but before you started working here, I began having dreams about my boy. In them, he kept telling me that the truth would be revealed.”
Barry looked stunned.
“When I first saw you, I thought you looked exactly like him. But after last night, I realized you don’t.”
Barry blinked in confusion.
“I think maybe my son’s spirit followed you,” I said. “Maybe because of the guilt you carried all those years.”
Barry’s eyes filled with tears. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered.
“I began having dreams about my boy.”
I stood up.
“I know. You were just a scared kid,” I said. “You ran. Kids do that.”
Barry shook his head.
“But I brought him there.”
“Yes,” I said gently. “And you carried that weight for 15 years.”
Barry wiped his face.
“My son deserves peace. And so do you.”
He stared at me.
“But I brought him there.”
I stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“You still have a job here,” I told him. “And a place in my life.”
Barry let out a shaky laugh of relief through tears.
I pulled him into a hug.
And for the first time in a long while, it felt like my son had finally come home.
