Turns out... (They always there)

[intro started with a few soft piano notes] [10-year-old boy voice 1– soft, uncertainty] I thought he never cared, Just silence in the air. Every day he’d leave, And I’d pretend I don’t give a care. No birthdays, no good nights, Only stars and satellite lights. I ran so far, to get away— From words I feared he’d never say... [instruments start rising with emotion] [Bridge – still 10-year-old boy 1, voice trembling] But turns out... His words were always near. Turns out... He whispered through the years. Ink on a page I refused to see— Turns out he was reaching out to me. [10-year-old boy voice 2 – entering slowly, voice filled with quiet hurt] I told myself I was okay, That I liked it when he stayed away. Doctors save the world, but I’d say— Why did I feel thrown away? I smiled through calls that never came, Learned to forget how to miss his name. But that summer sun in East Africa— He was there... and still felt far... away [Bridge – boy 2’s voice rising with emotion] But turns out... He tried in his own way. Turns out... He never meant to stay away. All those quiet moments, I now see— He was doing his best... for me. [DUET – building in harmony, both voices raw and honest] Turns out... they always cared. Turns out... we were unprepared. To see the love beneath the pain, To hear the truth in the pouring rain. They stood behind the walls we built, Fathers made of love and guilt. We looked away, afraid to feel— But now we know their love was real. [soft, near-whisper harmony, hand in hand] And maybe now\... we’ll start to mend. A letter read, a message sent. Turns out... Turns out... Turns out... They always care, They always there, They always there—! They always there...