People in Burlington said I was \u201cdrowning in grief,\u201d that I was \u201cnot myself\u201d since the fire. The house at the edge of town\u2014the one where my daughter, Chloe, had been staying with friends for the weekend\u2014had gone up in flames in the middle of the night. By the time the trucks arrived, there was nothing left but black beams and smoke. They told me there were remains. They told me there was no doubt.<\/p>\n
There had been a service. A closed casket. A polished stone with her name.<\/p>\n
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Everyone told me I had to accept it.<\/p>\n
So I tried. I drank the herbal tea my wife, Vanessa, brought to my bedside each evening.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor your nerves, Marcus,\u201d she would say softly, her hand lingering on my shoulder. \u201cYou haven\u2019t been sleeping.\u201d<\/p>\n
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