MY PARENTS PUBLICLY EMBARRASSED ME AT MY SISTER’S GRADUATION….

My mother kept going, and as she spoke, I watched Elena’s face. Elena smiled, eyes shining, chin lifted. She looked grateful. She looked happy. She looked exactly like the daughter my parents adored.

Then my mother’s voice shifted.

Not louder. Not harsher. Almost lighter. Like she was about to make people laugh.

“And, you know,” she said, laughing softly into the microphone, “we always say Elena was our greatest blessing.”

More applause.