"It wasn't easy. Poked my fingers about a hundred times!"
I threw my arms around him and cried into his shirt.
"Did you make this for me yourself?"
"I don't deserve this."
"Yes, you do, sweetheart. You've always deserved this and so much more."
***
Five days later, my grandpa was gone.
He had a heart attack in his sleep. Aunt Carol found him when he didn't answer her morning call. I didn't get to say goodbye.
I couldn't eat or sleep.
I skipped school for almost a week and just sat on the couch in one of his old flannel shirts.
My grandpa was gone.
The prom flyer stayed pinned to the fridge, and every time I walked past it, I felt sick.
***
"I'm not going, Aunt Carol. I can't," I told her while she stayed with me at Grandpa's place because I refused to leave.
"Honey, he made that dress for you. He'd want you to wear it."
"I know what he'd want. That doesn't mean I can do it."
She sat next to me and took my hand.
Every time I walked past it, I felt sick.
"Tina, listen to me. That man worked himself to the bone for one night. One night. Don't let it sit in a closet."
I didn't answer her. But I didn't say no again either.
***
The morning of prom, I stood in front of my closet for a long time. Then I pulled the dress out.
