When I asked Will what his clearest childhood memories were, he fell silent as if wondering whether it not to tell me.
We sat in silence for a few seconds before he finally chose one to say.
He took a deep breath and looked at me, with eyes like a sad, desperate puppy. Sighing, he started to speak in a gentle but confident voice.
"When I was four, my Dad used to work with machines. He made computers and televisions. I remember one day, he was looking at a blueprint for some sort of machine.. I asked him what it was for, and he said a robot." He chuckled a little at the memory. I smiled to see him happy.
"And then what?" I asked, encouraging him to continue.
He then replied with a grin,"Well, I remember asking him continuously when the robot would be made, and every day he would always tell me to wait a few more days. I actually believed that he would make a robot for me."
I giggled softly and nodded for him to continue.
"It was my fifth birthday. I had forgotten all about the robot by then, but my dad didn't. He dressed as a robot for me, and we just laughed for the whole day. It was great." I could see a tear form in the corner of his eye, but he refused to let them show.
"Do you want to stop?" I asked, referring to the interview. I didn't want to cause him to get emotional. But he smiled reassuringly and replied, "Nah, we can keep going."
"Are you okay?" I wanted to make sure I wasn't making him uncomfortable.
"Yeah, Im fine. Its just.." He began.
"...It's just.. what?" I asked.
"It's just.. two days later, my dad died."