I could change. But I don’t.

They were alike in more ways than Tully knew, and far more than Malachi would ever say out loud. Time and experience separated them, opportunities taken kept them farther apart, but he felt he had more in common with the beggar than anyone would reasonably believe.

“Something else,” he pondered over the request. Took another sip from his glass, filled with little more than a few drops left.

The only easy thing to talk about was the bible. He’d spare Tully a lecture. Besides that, there was… oh.

A smile brightened his features, small and soft. Warmer than the one he’d worn before.

“My niece moved to town recently – Nettie. She found a boarding house near here to stay in until she establishes herself. It’s…” it still felt strange to just talk to him, but he kept on, “…it’s always helped me a lot to have her near. She’s… kind. Good. More than the world deserves.”

He glanced up when he said that, realizing suddenly that Nettie was bound to be somebody’s Lewis. The center of their world, their light.