Emma turned toward me.
She didn’t say anything.
She simply shook her head once.
Our promise.
I sat down again, my hands trembling in my lap.
Emma carefully leaned Felix against the wall near the gym doors.
Then she took her place with the other graduates.
I watched her smooth the front of her gown and straighten her cap.
From where I sat, she looked calm.
But I knew my daughter.
I knew the difference between calmness and someone trying desperately not to fall apart.
The ceremony began.
Students were called one by one. Families cheered. Cameras flashed. Teachers smiled as diplomas were handed across the stage.
I tried to listen to the speeches, but my attention kept drifting toward the gym doors.
Felix stood there alone.
Every time someone passed him, I imagined another cruel comment, another photograph taken for somebody else’s entertainment.
I wondered whether I should have ignored my promise.
