"I'm not going to prom, Mom."
"Honey, we can find something. We can sew something ourselves, we can—"
"Mom. Stop." Her voice was flat, exhausted. "I'm not going. Please just stop trying."
I pressed my forehead against the door and cried as quietly as I could. I had buried one child. I could feel the second one slipping away through the gap under the door, and I had no idea how to hold on.
I opened the door in yesterday's clothes.
I do not know how long I sat there. Long enough that my legs went numb. Long enough that the light in the hallway changed.
A few days later, there was a knock.
I opened the door in yesterday's clothes. Eli stood on the porch in a faded hoodie, holding a small notebook against his chest. He looked nervous. He also looked decided, which was new on him.
"Mrs. Mave. Can I talk to you out here?"
I stepped onto the porch and pulled the door shut behind me.
"Is Hazel okay? Did she text you?"
I stared at this boy I had watched grow up two houses down.
"No, ma'am." He took a breath. "I need her measurements."
"Eli, what—"
"Prom is in two weeks. I can do this. I know how that sounds. But I need you to trust me. And I need you not to tell her anything. Not one word."
I stared at this boy I had watched grow up two houses down. Seventeen years old. Bitten fingernails. Holding a notebook like it was a contract.
"Eli, you have never made a dress like this in your life."
