Just pieces.
Adam teaching me how to ride a bicycle.
Adam running beside me while I wobbled down the sidewalk.
Adam carrying me home after I scraped my knees.
And one summer afternoon, when I had dropped my ice cream on the pavement, Adam had laughed, wiped the tears from my face, and bought me another one.
Strawberry shortcake.
Ben had remembered.
For more than 30 years, I had carried the memory of my brother as something painful.
But standing beside that truck, I suddenly remembered something else.
He had made me laugh.
He had teased me.
He had protected me.
He had been my big brother.
Ben explained that after retiring from his regular job, he eventually began driving an ice cream truck again.
He hadn’t been looking for me.
He hadn’t been searching for my family.
It was Ellie who changed everything.
“She talks about you,” he said.
