Chapter 19 - The DepartureThe late afternoon sun cast long, amber rays across Harvard Yard as Mark helped unload the final suitcase from the back of his SUV.
The campus was alive with thousands of freshmen students, nervous parents, and bustling orientation leaders carrying boxes into the ivy-covered brick dormitories.
Inside her third-floor room in Holworthy Hall, Lily unpacked her desk lamps, set up her textbooks, and hung her framed family photographs on the wall above her study desk.
When the time came for parents to depart, Mark stood with Lily on the wide granite steps of the dormitory, surrounded by the historic oaks of the university grounds.
Mark looked down at his daughter. For a split second, the illusion of time melted away, and he saw the little girl in the pink satin dress, holding his hand near the grand staircase. But as the image faded, he saw the strong, brilliant, confident scholar standing before him, ready to take on the world.
"Call me when you finish dinner," Mark said, his voice cracking slightly despite his best efforts to stay composed.
"I'll call you every night, Dad," Lily smiled, tears brimming in her eyes.
She stepped forward, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist, burying her face into his chest just as she had done on the floor of the foyer eight years ago. Mark held her close, pressing a soft, long kiss to her hair.
"Go change the world, Lily-bug," Mark whispered.
May you like
"I love you, Dad," she replied, stepping back and wiping her cheek with a smile. "Thank you for saving my life. Every single day."
Mark stood on the lawn, watching as she turned and walked through the heavy oak doors of the hall, her head held high, stepping boldly into her future.
