She ran over and touched the fabric.
“It’s so soft!”
“Try it on.”
A few minutes later she came spinning out of her bedroom.
“I look like a princess!” she squealed, twirling.
She threw her arms around me.
“Thanks, Daddy!”
I hugged her tightly.
“The fabric came from your mom’s silk handkerchiefs.”
Melissa’s face lit up.
“So Mommy helped make it?”
“Something like that.”
She hugged me again.
“I love it!”
That moment alone made every sleepless night worth it.
Graduation day
The day arrived warm and bright.
The school gym buzzed with chatter as parents filled the bleachers and children ran around in tiny suits and colorful dresses.
Melissa held my hand as we walked inside.
“You nervous?” I asked.
“A little.”
“You’ll do great.”
She proudly smoothed the skirt of her dress.
A few parents smiled when they noticed it.
Then the moment happened.
A woman wearing oversized designer sunglasses stepped in front of us and stared at Melissa’s dress.
Then she laughed loudly.
“Oh my God,” she said to the nearby parents. “Did you actually make that dress?”
I nodded.
“I did.”
