My Husband Made His Doctor Promise to Give Me an Envelope Only After He Was Gone

I will let her read the words he wrote to her before she was born, in his own uneven hand.

I will tell her about the man who loved her before he ever saw her face.

I will tell her that he was frightened.

That he was human.

That he did not want to die, and did not pretend otherwise, and had no interest in being a hero.

But I will also tell her that when he realized he could not control how much time he had left, he chose, instead, to control what he could give away.