It wasn’t perfect.
But it was still hers.
That’s all I needed.
At prom, people stared.
Not in a bad way.
“You look amazing,” someone said.
“It was my mom’s,” I told them.
And for the first time that night…
I smiled for real.
When I got home, my dad was waiting.
He looked tired. Still in his work clothes.
But when he saw me…
He froze.
“You look just like her,” he said quietly.
Then he hugged me.
And I finally let myself cry again.
Then Stephanie spoke.
“So this is what you wore?” she said. “You really let her embarrass us like that?”
The air changed instantly.
My dad turned.
And I’d never seen him look like that before.
“She didn’t embarrass anyone,” he said. “She honored her mother.”
Stephanie laughed.
“You call that honoring? That dress looks cheap.”
