I arrived at my dad’s retirement gala and overheard. She’s just here to ruin the mood….

I told her yes.

I told her he would love it.

I told her a lot of things I no longer believe.

We were ten minutes late because Lily couldn’t find her silver ballet flats — the ones she insisted on wearing because “princesses don’t wear sneakers.” I’d searched under the couch, in the laundry basket, behind the shoe rack. By the time we found them wedged behind the toilet-paper stack in the hall closet, we were already behind schedule.

I didn’t panic.

I told myself it was fine.