A Hand on My Shoulder

My wife's been after me for years to write this down, so here it is, finally. Did two tours in Afghanistan, came home different, same as a lot of guys do. Rough stretch a few years after I got back, you don't need the details on most of it. Worst night of that stretch, had something in my hand in the garage at two in the morning that shouldn't have been there. Felt a hand land on my shoulder. Real weight to it, not threatening, just steady. Put the thing down. Walked back inside and cried in front of my wife for the first time since I was a kid. Nine years since that night. Still here. Don't need to understand the weight on my shoulder to be grateful for it.