Keith was driving his usual bus route across the city when a young woman with a baby boarded. He couldn’t help but smirk, anticipating the noise that might follow. Nothing seemed worse to him than a crying baby during rush hour.

As the woman took her seat and began to breastfeed, Keith’s irritation grew. He yelled out to her, “Hey, Lady! You can’t do that here!” To which the woman calmly replied, “Why, of course, I can! I’m nursing my baby.”

Keith continued driving, his internal rant about public decency seeping out. “Disgusting! Kids think they’re entitled to everything,” he mumbled loudly. Other passengers exchanged looks, but Keith laughed off any discomfort he caused.

Just then, the bus reached the next stop. Keith watched in shock as the woman was greeted by a man in a wheelchair—his son, Daniel. It had been years since Keith last saw him, healthy and whole.

Keith’s heart sank as he realized the woman he insulted was his daughter-in-law and the baby, his grandchild. As passengers urged him to continue driving, Keith was lost in a sea of regret and memories from his past. Images of his own life choices flashed before him.

Long ago, Keith had a relationship with Sarah, his girlfriend. Life seemed good. But when Sarah revealed she was pregnant, things took a turn. Keith wasn’t ready to be a father. He was caught between dreams of a better life and the reality of their modest existence.

He started hanging out with his old friend Victor, delving into a life of petty crimes to make money. Despite Sarah’s pleas to stop, Keith couldn’t see past the immediate wealth he was acquiring.

Eventually, that life caught up with him. Sarah and their son left, and Keith was sentenced to 20 years, though paroled after 15 for good behavior. Released, he tried to reconnect with Sarah, only to find she had moved on, settled into a life nowhere he once envisioned for them.

As he peered into Sarah’s new home one day, he witnessed the love and happiness they shared with someone else. It was the life he wanted to give them but now could never be a part of.

Now, back in the present, Keith’s heart ached when he learned Sarah had passed away in an accident, leaving Daniel and their baby behind. The neighbor’s words echoed in his mind, confirming what he feared.

Determined, Keith approached Daniel’s house, preparing himself to meet his son once more. When the door swung open, Keith saw Daniel, now a father himself, sitting in his wheelchair, facing his father with a calm expression.

“Yes?” Daniel said, looking at Keith. The moment was thick with unspoken apologies and a desperate longing for forgiveness, which only a father could silently plead. It was a chance to start anew, even from where they stood.