Nicole became emotional almost as soon as she began talking about her father. There was deep admiration in her voice, and so many tears.
Her father’s ashes are divided into three containers in her home, each representing a different relationship to him. One of those containers took years to recover. Nicole eventually drove hours to retrieve it just before an estate liquidation, finding it wrapped in brown paper and tucked away at the back of a closet. Even after bringing it home, something still felt unresolved.
Nicole’s mother sat quietly in the corner of the room the entire time, listening as Nicole spoke with me. In that space, it felt as though Nicole wasn’t only remembering her father — she was still in conversation with him, honoring a man she deeply admired.
This is Nicole’s story.
