When my father announced he was remarrying at age sixty, our entire family felt a mix of joy, curiosity, and a little nervousness. After decades of living alone, he had finally opened his heart again. None of us could have guessed that their wedding night would bring a moment so unexpected that it would become one of our favorite family stories.
My father, Antônio Ferreira, has always been a quiet man—steady, gentle, and devoted. After my mother passed during our college years, he devoted himself to raising my sister and me. He never once talked about meeting someone new. His days centered around work, going to Sunday mass, tending his small garden, and checking in on us even long after we’d built our own routines.
