HUFFINGTON
09.22.13
INVISIBLE CASUALTIES
guilt, an agony of regret. Anger.
And the unanswerable questions: How could this have happened? How did we get to this
point? What was my own part in
this? Where did I fail? Frantically
searching for the understanding
that will never come.
Slowly, over the months, he
has built a small space of acceptance, of peace. With the help
and support of many others, he
works at enlarging that space.
He survives. To pass him on the
street, to exchange neighborly
pleasantries, you would not
glimpse his torment.
But in coming to this part of the
story, the moment his son hung
up the phone, Don falters and
goes silent, eyes downcast. A long
pause. Then he looks up at me,
one father to another, and his eyes
are luminous with pain.
“I knew,” he said.
It was three hours, though,
before it was off X