After tea, he walked Tasha to the rose garden alone.
“Can I tell you a secret?” he asked.
She nodded.
“I wasn’t just robbed that night. I was… lost. Not just in the alley, but in my life.”
Tasha frowned. “How?”
He took a deep breath. “I let money become my god. My daughter—Jasmine—she was kind. Like you. She volunteered at shelters, rescued animals, gave away her shoes more times than I could count.”
“What happened to her?”
He paused. “Cancer. At ten.”
Tasha’s chest ached. “I’m sorry.”
“So was I,” he whispered. “I pushed people away. Built walls. But when I saw you standing in that alley… it was like Jasmine was there. Reminding me. Tasha, you didn’t just save my life. You saved my soul.”
He knelt again, gently took her hands.
“I’ll never forget what you did. You brought my daughter back to me. In spirit. And I’ll do everything I can to help you fly.”
Tasha’s eyes brimmed with tears.
And then he said something she’d never forget:
“You are the most important person in my world now. You showed me how to live.”
