For his 93rd birthday, Arnold longed to hear his children’s laughter again. He prepared a feast, set the table, and waited, but his children, too busy or tired, didn’t come. Alone in his quiet cottage, surrounded by dusty memories, Arnold felt forgotten. Then, a knock—Brady, a young neighbor filming a Christmas documentary,
stood at the door. Recently orphaned, Brady saw family in Arnold. In their shared loneliness, they found connection. Brady returned with neighbors, filling Arnold’s home with laughter and creating a new kind of family. When Arnold passed, Brady honored him, taking his walking stick to Paris, carrying the love of an old man who just wanted to be remembered.
