When the Eight-Year-Old Boy We Were Adopting Came Home With Everything He Owned in a Black Bag—Then My Missing Brother’s Watch Fell Onto His Bed

David did not need to become:

Brave father who sacrificed everything.

He was a man who loved his child, hurt people, avoided people he loved, recovered from addiction, failed to complete important planning, and died too early.

Oliver could love that father.

No contradiction.

At thirteen, Oliver asked:

“Why didn’t Dad find you after he got better?”

I had no satisfying answer.