Taking the car was a mistake; Robert had to drive endlessly to find a parking spot near campus. By the time they arrived, Keeley was thoroughly sick of the car. Containing her excitement was difficult as they walked around campus. It wasn't terribly crowded, but it was a Saturday. This made getting around easier but asking for directions more difficult.

"If we follow the signs, the bookstore should be somewhere, right?" she asked, uncertainly. Her father was several feet away, studying a building directory.

"It looks like the engineering building is this way. Do you want to take a look at that first?"

She hesitated, biting her lip. "Shouldn't we find someone to talk to about the school?"

He checked the directory again. "We might find someone willing to give you a tour in the student administration building. It's this way."

They were lucky—a tour was scheduled to start in forty minutes, and they managed to join. While they waited, they browsed brochures detailing university information, majors and minors, and campus life.

"Are you going to want to live on campus?"

Keeley looked up in surprise. "Why would I do that when I have a perfectly good bedroom at home?"

Robert sighed. She was always such a daddy's girl, especially after losing her mother and brother. She needed to spread her wings instead of catering to a lonely middle-aged man.

"The trust covers dormitory expenses. It would be more convenient, avoiding over an hour commute each way, and you'd make friends more easily."

Conflict clouded her face. "But what about you?"

"I'm home late half the time anyway. You can always come see me on Sundays." He saw her warming to the idea and smiled.

Keeley hadn't considered living on campus. Her dad had a point. Commuting would hinder her involvement and friendships, not to mention wasted study time. Hadn't she just been thinking about avoiding the same college mistakes?

"Thank you all for your interest in NYU's College of Engineering. We offer several diverse programs such as applied physics, civil engineering, biomedical engineering, and mathematics…" the presenter began, cutting off Keeley's thoughts.

She paid close attention, especially in the engineering building. The labs where prospective mechanical engineers worked were interesting, but she was far more intrigued by the medical labs they briefly passed due to biohazards.

This was her future. She would spend the next four years, if not longer, primarily in this building. Seeing her dreams realized was overwhelming.

The tour ended in the bookstore. Keeley had never seen so much NYU merchandise. How was she supposed to choose? She ran her hands over the clothes racks. New York was chilly for much of the year, so something with long sleeves would be good, but there were dozens of options.

"Dad, should I get a gray hoodie with purple letters or a purple one with white letters?"

"The purple one with white letters looks good," he replied. "I think it has a better font." He was right; it was less blocky.

"Alright!" she cheered, hugging it excitedly.

She hadn't gotten Boston University spirit wear; she'd been ambivalent about attending. This was her first time buying such merchandise, and she intended to wear it proudly.

"Now that that's taken care of, where do you want to go for dinner?"

"Somewhere with steak?" Keeley asked hopefully. On their budget, chicken was usually their meat of choice.

Robert shook his head indulgently. "Why not! It's a special occasion. Let's get my soon-to-be college girl a steak."

"You're the best, Dad!"

They went to a nearby, inexpensive steakhouse and enjoyed warm bread while waiting for their meals. Nostalgia hit as they moved into this new phase of life, and Keeley was overwhelmed by it.

She reminisced with her father about her elementary school days, when their family was complete. Having cried earlier, she could now laugh about the memories.

"Ooh, Mom was so mad!" she chuckled, recalling when she and Kaleb used her mother's makeup, giving him a makeover and practically destroying the bathroom.

"The pictures were almost worth it, though."

Keeley sobered. "It's been a long time since we looked through the old photo albums together."

"It has. You know…I still have a bunch of pictures that never made it into the albums. Your mom meant to, but wasn't able to before…anyway, they're in a box at the top of my closet, with dates and events written on the back. Would you be interested in finishing them for her?"

"I think Mom would like that. I'm not as artistic as she is, but I'm sure I could think of something."

Monica Hall was an expert scrapbooker and often gathered with friends to work on them. Keeley might be able to replicate her mother's work using her old art supplies.

"It would be nice not to have a bunch of loose photos lying around," Robert added.

After losing his wife and son, he bought a small digital camera and kept pictures of Keeley on his computer. He occasionally printed one for a frame, but most of the house's pictures were from before their family shrank.

Despite trying to live for his daughter, he couldn't escape his past. It was an unspoken similarity they shared. Robert never imagined his usually cheerful daughter struggled with memories more traumatic than losing her mother and brother.

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