Growing up, I knew I could count on him to wait for me on the back porch every Saturday. It was our special time together, just the two of us. I remember how his face would light up as he explained the different types of knots and how they worked. Although I never fully understood why, I loved listening to him talk. Part of me thinks it’s because we didn’t have a shared interest in sports or the military that he had with my cousin and sister. However, another part of me believes it’s because no one else took the time to listen to him until I did. I’d sit for hours, enthralled by his stories, and although he never taught me his favorite knot, the Ocean Plait Mat, he did teach me the lashing knot, which he claimed could be handy one day. Even though our Saturdays now consist of watching Venom together, followed by dinner and conversation on the back porch, I cherish the memories we made during those knot-tying sessions. Sometimes all people need is for you to listen to them, the feeling of being heard can change a lot for a person.