Chapter 3: The Prom I Never Had

The last thing Darren ever said to me was that he wasn’t ready to be a father.

Then he disappeared.

I raised Elsie alone.

So when Mason arrived at our house on prom night wearing a dark suit and carrying a white boutonniere, some wounded part of me thought maybe life was finally giving my daughter the experience I never had.

Elsie floated down the staircase wearing a pale green dress.

I had spent an hour curling her hair.

She wore my grandmother’s pearl hair clip.

And she looked absolutely breathtaking.

The prom was being held in the high school gymnasium.

The decorations were modest, but the teachers had done their best.

String lights hung from the ceiling.

Balloons lined the walls.

Parents lingered around pretending they were not watching every interaction.

I stayed because Elsie asked me to. Continue Reading ⬇️