Chapter 178

KING I greet the staff at the assisted living facility as I pass by the front desk. I know most of them by name after visiting here every other month for the past three years. In case they demand I stop by for dinner, I keep these visits from my parents, and I usually manage to sneak in and out of the city in a single day. My grandfather’s health has been declining for years, and it broke my heart to take him from his Long Island house and put him in here, but like he always does, he settled in easily and made the best of the situation. When I get into his room, he’s dozing peacefully, while a rerun of Frasierplays on his TV. I wrap my fingers around his fragile hand and squeeze gently, noticing how little padding there appears to be between flesh and bone. “Hey, Grampa,” I murmur. His eyes immediately flutter open, and he squeezes back, the faintest of smiles thinning his lips. “There’s my boy.” Tears burn behind my eyes, and an intense wave of guilt washes over me. Even if I don’t li