{"id":5822,"date":"2026-08-10T21:15:44","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T21:15:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/?p=5822"},"modified":"2026-08-10T21:15:44","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T21:15:44","slug":"part-2-48","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/?p=5822","title":{"rendered":"Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

PART 2<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Mike had gotten the compass tattoo when he was nineteen.<\/p>\n

It came from a road trip he had taken with Harold.<\/p>\n

According to Mike, the two of them had planned to get matching tattoos, but Harold changed his mind at the last minute.<\/p>\n

Mike teased him about it for years.<\/p>\n

Mia knew that tattoo better than almost anyone.<\/p>\n

When she rode on Mike\u2019s shoulders, she would touch the small compass behind his ear.<\/p>\n

To her, that symbol wasn\u2019t simply a tattoo.<\/p>\n

It meant Daddy.<\/p>\n

Suddenly her words at the party made sense.<\/p>\n

But another question replaced them.<\/p>\n

Why did Harold have it now?<\/p>\n

I left the party with Mia and barely slept.<\/p>\n

After putting her to bed, I opened a box of old photographs I had avoided since Mike\u2019s death.<\/p>\n

Eventually, I found exactly what I remembered.<\/p>\n

One photograph showed nineteen-year-old Mike outside the tattoo shop with a bandage behind his ear.<\/p>\n

Another showed Harold shortly afterward.<\/p>\n

His skin was completely clear.<\/p>\n

He had never gotten the matching tattoo.<\/p>\n

Until now.<\/p>\n

I also realized Harold had started growing his hair longer around six months earlier.<\/p>\n

The next morning, I went to his house.<\/p>\n

He opened the door wearing sweatpants and a T-shirt.<\/p>\n

He looked as tired as I felt.<\/p>\n

\u201cI figured you\u2019d come,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Inside, Mike\u2019s old travel mug was sitting on Harold\u2019s kitchen counter.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t sit down.<\/p>\n

\u201cTurn your head.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlison\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease.\u201d<\/p>\n

He finally turned.<\/p>\n

The compass was there.<\/p>\n

Still slightly new-looking.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen did you get it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSix months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

Harold lowered his eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause I was ashamed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAshamed of missing Mike?\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we were nineteen, Mike wanted us to get those tattoos together. I backed out. After he died, I kept thinking about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

He took a breath.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to finally give him the yes I should\u2019ve given him back then.\u201d<\/p>\n

His voice cracked.<\/p>\n

I felt some of my suspicion disappear.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo that\u2019s why Mia thought you were him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI forgot how often she used to touch Mike\u2019s tattoo,\u201d Harold said. \u201cWhen she pointed at mine during the party, I realized immediately. I felt terrible.\u201d<\/p>\n

For a moment, neither of us spoke.<\/p>\n

Then I stood.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you for telling me.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Harold followed me toward the door.<\/p>\n

But before I left, he stopped.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s something else I should probably tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n

I turned around.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

He hesitated.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know how to say it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen don\u2019t. Not today.\u201d<\/p>\n

I drove home.<\/p>\n

But the unfinished sentence stayed with me.<\/p>\n

So did Benjamin\u2019s comment.<\/p>\n

A second-floor renovation.<\/p>\n

For a family.<\/p>\n

That afternoon, I texted Harold.<\/p>\n

**We need to finish that conversation.**<\/p>\n

His reply came almost immediately.<\/p>\n

**Yes.**<\/p>\n

When I returned, I asked the question directly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe tattoo wasn\u2019t the only thing you were hiding, was it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Harold said nothing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe renovation upstairs. It\u2019s for Mia and me.\u201d<\/p>\n

His shoulders dropped.<\/p>\n

That was all the confirmation I needed.<\/p>\n

Continue reading<\/a><\/h1>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PART 2 Mike had gotten the compass tattoo when he was nineteen. It came from a road trip he had taken with Harold. According to Mike, the two of them had planned to get...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nPart 2 - Welcome<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/?p=5822\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Part 2 - Welcome\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"PART 2 Mike had gotten the compass tattoo when he was nineteen. It came from a road trip he had taken with Harold. According to Mike, the two of them had planned to get...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/?p=5822\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Welcome\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-10T21:15:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/awestories24.press\\\/?p=5822#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/awestories24.press\\\/?p=5822\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/awestories24.press\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cdbab16ac691b2d41fc3a1b62b58b015\"},\"headline\":\"Part 2\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-10T21:15:44+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/awestories24.press\\\/?p=5822\"},\"wordCount\":504,\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/awestories24.press\\\/?p=5822\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/awestories24.press\\\/?p=5822\",\"name\":\"Part 2 - Welcome\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/awestories24.press\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-10T21:15:44+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/awestories24.press\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cdbab16ac691b2d41fc3a1b62b58b015\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/awestories24.press\\\/?p=5822#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/awestories24.press\\\/?p=5822\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/awestories24.press\\\/?p=5822#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/awestories24.press\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Part 2\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/awestories24.press\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/awestories24.press\\\/\",\"name\":\"Welcome\",\"description\":\"Breaking News\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/awestories24.press\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/awestories24.press\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cdbab16ac691b2d41fc3a1b62b58b015\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/awestories24.press\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/awestories24.press\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Part 2 - Welcome","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/?p=5822","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Part 2 - Welcome","og_description":"PART 2 Mike had gotten the compass tattoo when he was nineteen. It came from a road trip he had taken with Harold. According to Mike, the two of them had planned to get...","og_url":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/?p=5822","og_site_name":"Welcome","article_published_time":"2026-08-10T21:15:44+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/?p=5822#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/?p=5822"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/#\/schema\/person\/cdbab16ac691b2d41fc3a1b62b58b015"},"headline":"Part 2","datePublished":"2026-08-10T21:15:44+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/?p=5822"},"wordCount":504,"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/?p=5822","url":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/?p=5822","name":"Part 2 - Welcome","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-08-10T21:15:44+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/#\/schema\/person\/cdbab16ac691b2d41fc3a1b62b58b015"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/?p=5822#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/awestories24.press\/?p=5822"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/?p=5822#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Part 2"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/#website","url":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/","name":"Welcome","description":"Breaking News","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/#\/schema\/person\/cdbab16ac691b2d41fc3a1b62b58b015","name":"admin","sameAs":["https:\/\/awestories24.press"],"url":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5822","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5822"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5822\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5823,"href":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5822\/revisions\/5823"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}