The first time I saw him smile was when the teacher reminded us that it would soon be summer vacation. It was as if the darkness lifted for a brief second as the sunny days of summer cast their light upon his face, bringing at last a solace to the trapped soul beneath the flesh. It made my day, no matter how fleeting the expression was, just to see that glimmer of chance that he might be happy again.
I had watched him for months, never saying a word. It was never done openly. I couldn’t let