Chapter Sixty-Four: The School Dance
The announcement came home in both twins' backpacks on a Friday afternoon.
Dear Parents,
The first grade will be hosting its annual Father-Daughter Dance on Friday, June 7th, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM in the school gymnasium. Daughters are encouraged to bring their fathers, grandfathers, uncles, or any special male role model in their lives.
Light refreshments will be served. Semi-formal attire is requested.
Lina read the letter twice.
She thought about Lily, who loved to dance. She thought about Ethan, who loved to make Lily laugh. She thought about the years ahead, when Lily would be too old for father-daughter dances, when she would roll her eyes at the idea of dressing up and going out with her dad.
But that was the future.
This was now.
And now, Lily was seven years old and she wanted to dance with her father.
---
Lily was thrilled when Lina showed her the letter.
"A dance!" she screamed, jumping up and down. "A real dance! With Daddy!"
Ethan, who had been reading the newspaper in the living room, looked up. "A dance?"
"A father-daughter dance," Lina said, handing him the letter.
Ethan read it slowly. His face softened into a smile.
"I get to dance with my girl," he said.
Lily ran to him and climbed into his lap. "We have to wear fancy clothes. And you have to wear a tie. And I'm going to wear a dress with sparkles."
"A dress with sparkles," Ethan repeated. "That sounds perfect."
Lily beamed.
Lina watched them, her heart full.
---
The week leading up to the dance was chaos.
Lily tried on every dress she owned. She rejected them all. She needed something new. Something special. Something with sparkles.
Lina took her to three different stores before they found the perfect dress—a pink confection with layers of tulle and a bodice covered in sequins.
"It's beautiful," Lily breathed, twirling in front of the mirror.
"It's very sparkly," Lina agreed.
Lily stopped twirling. "Do you think Daddy will like it?"
Lina knelt down and looked at her daughter.
"Sweetheart," she said, "Daddy will love it. Because you're wearing it. He doesn't care about the dress. He cares about you."
Lily's eyes filled with tears.
"I love Daddy," she whispered.
Lina pulled her into her arms.
"I know, baby," she said. "He loves you too."
---
Ethan bought a new suit for the occasion.
He stood in front of the mirror, adjusting his tie, while Lily watched from the doorway.
"You look handsome, Daddy," she said.
Ethan turned around. "You look beautiful, sweetheart."
Lily twirled. "It's the sparkles."
"It's you."
Lily ran to him and hugged his legs.
"I'm so excited," she said.
Ethan picked her up and held her in his arms.
"So am I," he said.
---
The school gymnasium was transformed.
Streamers and balloons and a disco ball that cast tiny lights across the floor. Tables covered in white cloths, with centerpieces made of flowers and candles. A DJ played music that was too loud and too fast and exactly right.
Lily walked in on Ethan's arm, her head held high, her sparkly dress catching the light.
"Wow," she said.
"Wow," Ethan agreed.
They stood in the doorway, looking at the chaos.
"Are you ready?" Ethan asked.
Lily nodded.
"Let's dance," she said.
---
They danced all night.
Fast songs and slow songs and songs that Lily didn't know but danced to anyway. Ethan twirled her. He dipped her. He made her laugh.
Lina watched from the sidelines, her heart full.
Victoria stood beside her. "She's having the time of her life."
"She is," Lina said.
"You're crying."
Lina touched her face. Her cheeks were wet.
"I'm not crying," she said. "I have allergies."
Victoria smiled. "It's June. There are no allergies in June."
Lina laughed. "Fine. I'm crying. Happy tears."
Victoria put her arm around her.
"I know," she said. "I know."
---
The last dance was a slow song.
Ethan held Lily in his arms, her head on his chest, her feet on top of his. They swayed back and forth, not moving much, not needing to.
"I love you, Daddy," Lily said.
Ethan kissed the top of her head.
"I love you too, sweetheart. More than anything."
Lina watched them and thought about all the years ahead. The dances and the graduations and the weddings. The moments when Lily would need her father and the moments when she would push him away.
She was not ready.
But she was learning to live with the missing.
---
The drive home was quiet.
Lily was asleep in the back seat, her sparkly dress bunched up around her knees, a small smile on her face.
Ethan drove with one hand on the wheel and the other on Lina's knee.
"She had fun," he said.
"She had the time of her life."
Ethan was quiet for a moment. "So did I."
Lina looked at him. His eyes were soft, his face relaxed, his smile gentle.
"You're a good father," she said.
Ethan shook his head. "I'm just her dad."
"That's the same thing."
Ethan squeezed her knee.
"Thank you," he said. "For giving me this life."
Lina leaned her head against the seat.
"Thank you for staying," she said.
They drove home in silence, holding hands, while their daughter slept in the back seat.
---
The Next Morning
Lily woke up early, still wearing her sparkly dress.
She ran into the kitchen, where Lina was making pancakes.
"Mama! Mama! Last night was the best night of my whole life!"
Lina smiled. "Better than your birthday?"
"Better than all my birthdays combined."
"Better than Christmas?"
Lily thought about it. "Almost as good as Christmas."
Lina laughed.
She put a plate of pancakes in front of her daughter.
"Tell me everything," she said.
Lily told her.
Every detail. Every song. Every dance. Every moment.
Lina listened to all of it.
And she thought about how lucky she was. To have this daughter. To have this husband. To have this life.
It was not perfect.
But it was hers.
And she would not trade it for anything.
---
End of Chapter Sixty-Four