I was watching my bridesmaids fasten the damaged train into the bustle.
Upstairs, I knew none of this yet.
When they finished, I stood.
The dress was wearable.
It wasn’t fixed.
The torn lace was still there if you knew where to look.
“It’s not the same,” I said.
Mom came beside me.
“No.”
The dress was wearable.
I looked at her in the mirror.
She adjusted one loose piece near my waist.
Then she smiled.
“But I already saw you walk down the aisle. That’s the part I wanted, honey.”
I looked at her.
My eyes filled again.
This time I let them.
My eyes filled again.
Mom squeezed my hand.
“Nobody gets to take that part back.”
A minute later, Nathan knocked.
He came inside and told me everything.
The photo.
His mother.
The surprise dance.
What he’d canceled.
“Nobody gets to take that part back.”
