Them smiling.
Holding hands.
Laughing.
Ryan gently placing the corsage on Iris’s wrist.
For the first time in years, I felt completely at peace.
Maybe life really was giving my daughter the happiness she’d earned.
As they climbed into Ryan’s car, he looked back.
“I’ll have her home before midnight.”
“I know you will.”
They drove away.
I stood on the porch long after the taillights disappeared.
The house suddenly felt painfully quiet.
I cleaned the kitchen.
Folded laundry.
Watched television without paying attention.
Every few minutes I checked my phone.
Around nine-thirty it buzzed.
MOM. YOU ARE NEVER GOING TO BELIEVE WHAT JUST HAPPENED.
I smiled.
What happened?
A minute later another message arrived.
I’LL TELL YOU WHEN I GET HOME. IT’S CRAZY.