“We’ll be back on the beach tomorrow. You can come with us, but you must not escape again.
Mike covered his mouth with one hand, trying to hold a sob.
I will never escape again.
The next morning, all three of us went to the ocean.
I hadn’t forgiven Mike yet. Maybe I would never completely forgive him. But that day, forgiveness was not the most important thing.
Emily was.
She was sitting in the sand, wearing the pink hat that her grandfather had sent us. Mike built a sand castle next to him while I watched them from a small distance.
When a wave destroyed part of the castle, Mike quickly tried to rebuild it.
Emily took her hand.
Don’t worry, Dad. Sometimes everything collapses. You can always start over.
Mike looked at me.
At the time I understood that the secret behind the journey was not the gift inside the box.
It was the second chance Mike was asking for, not me, but his terminally ill little daughter.
Emily didn’t free him from her guilt. He simply allowed his father not to waste the time they had left.
And over the next few months, Mike didn’t escape again.
He would sit by Emily’s bed in the hospital, read fairy tales at night and hold her hand every time she was afraid.
Emily passed away seven months later.
During his last night, he asked us to open the window so we could hear a recording of the ocean waves that sounded softly in the distance.
I held one of his hands. Mike held the other one.
Before falling asleep, Emily whispered:
“I’m glad you came back, Dad.
Crying, Mike replied:
“And I’m glad you taught me how to come back.
Emily never opened her eyes again.
I still think some mistakes can never be really fixed. Mike could never recover the three years he had lost or erase the pain he had caused us.
But he was able to fulfill his daughter’s last wish, admit what he had done and stay by her side until the end.
The music box still occupies the most special place in my home.
Every time I open her and listen to her melody, I remember Emily’s words:
Sometimes everything collapses. But you can always start over.
