“Yeah!” My son laughed, almost giddy. “She came up to me at my locker. In front of everyone!”
My hands started shaking, so I clasped them together before he could see.
“Honey, that’s… that’s wonderful!” I tried to make my voice match the joy on his face, but something inside me had already gone cold.
So here was the thing.
Madison was the girl whose name floated through every conversation at every parent gathering. She was the kind of girl whose photos other moms showed me on their phones.
Madison was the most beautiful and popular girl in Nathan’s school.
Girls like her did not suddenly notice boys like Nathan.
She had not really acted as if she knew my son existed for four years. Four years!
Two Weeks of Happiness and Fear
The following two weeks were the happiest I had seen my son since middle school! The boy could not stop smiling.
Nathan came home one afternoon with a garment bag draped over his arm and announced that he had spent his savings on a navy suit. He modeled it for me in the living room, turning slowly and asking if the sleeves were too long.
“You look handsome,” I told him, and meant it.
He even practiced dancing.
