“Yesterday you said you were ashamed to have a gardener for a father-in-law,” I reminded him. “Today you came to beg that gardener’s daughter for help.”

I stood and looked down at him. “You’re not doing this because you learned to respect him. You’re doing it because you have no one else left.”

My father came out into the patio to see what was happening. Tristan stood, and then dropped to his knees in front of him.

“James, please forgive me. I was cruel, and you didn’t deserve what I did.”

My father looked at him for a long moment, then quietly told him to get up out of the dirt.

“Don’t kneel to me, young man,” he said. “Kneeling is easy when you’re afraid.” He held Tristan’s eyes with a steady dignity. “The hard part is standing up and answering for what you did.”