A simple act of kindness brought two teenage boys into the life of a lonely old man living in a decaying trailer. They grew close over the months that followed until he suddenly disappeared. Only a letter delivered after his death revealed the truth he had been hiding all along.

Frede and Keaton had been best friends since kindergarten. At sixteen, everyone at Jefferson High knew them as the kind of kids teachers always wished for more of.

Frede was the quiet one with sharp eyes and a soft voice; he stayed after school to help younger students with homework and never took a penny for it. Keaton, tall and easy with a smile, gave up his weekends to coach Little League instead of chasing glory on the varsity team.

Both came from homes where money was always tight. Frede’s mom pulled double shifts at the diner, and Keaton’s dad had been out of work for years. Still, neither boy ever complained. They worked hard, laughed loud, and carried themselves with a quiet steadiness that made people like them without trying.

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