I smiled despite myself. “You said sanding fixes almost everything.”
He looked down at the box.
“I kept it on my workbench for years.”
“You did?”
He nodded.
“After you left, I used to open it sometimes. It didn’t play anymore. But I kept thinking I could fix it.”
He turned the tiny key.
A few notes struggled out, thin and uneven.
Then stopped.
“I never did,” he said.
I took the box from him.
The wood was scratched. The corner was chipped. But beneath the dust, I could still see the uneven flower I had carved into the lid.
My father’s voice lowered.
“I think I kept it because it was easier to try fixing this than admit I wanted to fix us.”
I ran my fingers over the carving.
For a long moment, I was silent.
Then I said, “Maybe Leo can help you fix it.”
