He sat perfectly still for a while, hands resting on his cane, gaze fixed outside. Elise thought he looked moved in a way that didn’t match the simplicity of the exchange, as if her gesture had touched a memory rather than a current inconvenience.
She studied him curiously, wondering what life had shaped those gentle eyes and deliberate movements. She didn’t want to intrude, so she looked away, reminding herself that many older veterans carried emotions close to the surface for their own reasons.