He’s known for a long time. He wanted every day to have a purpose until the end. When he looked at it that morning, he knew his time had come. He went out on the balcony and looked into the distance. You can’t prepare for this. You mustn’t collapse, he told himself. Now you’ll go back there and do everything you can to make it easier for him. He took a deep breath and walked. He took his hand. They looked at each other. He sat beside him for a long time. Over the years, he had come to know how it felt when a soul said goodbye, but now a soul so close to him was saying goodbye that it tore him apart inside. He stroked his hand. He would never forget the last squeeze of his hand. Souls like blue hummingbirds fly away to paradise, Grandma used to say. Now my grandfather flew to her.