I Lost My Son Five Years Ago—But Last Month, A Kid In Angry Birds Pajamas Changed Everything (5 of 6)

I started dreaming again too. Dreams I hadn’t had in years. I saw Matija as he used to be, but older now, like how he’d look if he were still alive. In the dreams, he always smiled and said, “Don’t be afraid.”

One day, Arvid asked, “Did you lose someone?”

I froze. “Why do you ask?”

“Because I feel like I found someone. But maybe that means someone else is missing them.”

I wanted to tell him everything, but I didn’t. Not yet.

Instead, I asked Goran more about Arvid’s family. He told me the boy’s mom, Elma, worked long shifts at the hospital. His dad had been a mechanic, died in a road accident when Arvid was three.

“He doesn’t remember him much,” Goran said. “I’ve tried to be there, but I’m not good with kids.”

I could tell Goran cared, though. He wasn’t cold—just awkward.

Weeks passed. Arvid started calling me “Uncle” without being told to. I didn’t correct him.

He came over once to help me paint my fence, wearing those pajamas again. I couldn’t take my eyes off them.