Chapter 10 - The Front Row
August arrived with a sweltering heat, but the air felt entirely different now. It felt like freedom.
We stood in front of the massive, beautiful gates of Stanford University. The campus was stunning, all Spanish tile and lush green lawns. Julian’s dorm was packed with his things.
Maya was snapping pictures on her phone, crying happy tears behind her sunglasses.
I stood in the courtyard with Julian, fixing the collar of his polo shirt. He was eighteen. He was a man. And he was going to change the world.
"Are you going to be okay by yourself, Mom?" he asked, looking down at me with a soft, worried expression.
"Julian," I smiled, placing my hand on his cheek. "I have never been more okay in my entire life. You go. You study. You make mistakes, you learn, and you live your beautiful life. I will always be right behind you."
Julian shook his head. "No, Mom."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, framed piece of paper. He handed it to me.
I looked down. It was the jagged, torn piece of cardstock from his graduation day. Elena Foster. He had smoothed it out and framed it in a beautiful oak border. Underneath the card, he had engraved a small metal plaque.
To the woman who built the stage. You will always have the best seat in my house.
I pulled my son into a tight embrace, the California sun warming our shoulders. We had survived the long nights, the cold floors, and the cruelty of people who thought wealth equated to worth.
May you like
Mark and Tiffany thought they could push me to the back, hoping I would disappear into the shadows. But they forgot one crucial detail.
When you spend your whole life standing in the back, you learn how to see the entire room. And when the time comes, you know exactly how to tear the house down.
