Chapter 3: The Field Where It Began

The next morning was his graduation day.

Most people would have panicked. Most people would have handed the baby over to someone else and walked away from a responsibility that wasn’t theirs.

Dad wrapped me tighter in the blanket, pulled on his cap and gown, and carried me across the football field.

That was the moment captured in the photo above our couch.

After that, he gave up college to raise me.

He worked construction during the day and delivered pizzas at night. He learned how to braid hair through terrible online tutorials after I came home crying in kindergarten because another girl laughed at my uneven ponytail.

He burned hundreds of grilled cheese sandwiches trying to multitask.

But somehow, through all the exhaustion and sacrifice, he never let me feel abandoned.

So when my own graduation finally arrived, there was never any question about who would be beside me.

Not a boyfriend. Not friends.

Dad. Continue Reading ⬇️