Grandpa spoke through his tears.
“Three months ago, I ran into Mary by chance. She told me she’d wanted to see Sarah again for years but couldn’t bring herself to do it. And then I remembered this place.”
I quietly continued.
“Mom, Mary wanted to return to the bench where you two used to sit together. But the old path had been blocked.”
Grandpa pointed toward the wooden crossing we had built.
“With the help of volunteer specialists, we built a safe crossing here. Emily helped me measure the depth of the water, carry lightweight materials, and check the path.”
I looked at my mother.
“But I’ve always been afraid of running water. Every time I stepped into the stream, I remembered the accident you told me about. I was terrified the same thing would happen to me.”
Tears rolled down my cheeks.
“I wanted to surprise you, Mom. But every time I approached the water, I panicked. Grandpa told me we could stop, but I wanted to finish what we’d started.”