Prodigal

~2.22~

The DJ was pretty good once we got to the dance. It was just in our school gym, and as predicted, all of us were dancing in the middle of the gym while the fathers we standing along the walls, talking to each other.

Then the DJ said that the next song was for the fathers to slow dance with their daughters. (He also added that it would be a “our father’s era” song.)

The song was “All of Me” by John Legend. Gabbi’s dad came up to her and started dancing with her. I was looking around for my dad, and I found him, and the second we locked eyes, he suddenly looked down, as if he was ashamed.

The rejection stabbed me in the chest, and I walked over to stand in a corner.

Dad walked up to me and, without having to explain what he was talking about, said, “I’m just not comfortable with that yet.”

I turned my face away from him, fighting the urge to cry.

He threw his face into his hands for a moment, and then said to me, “Will you dance with me?”

I smiled at that offer, and once we were on the “dance floor,” a few people started looking at us, because they knew my situation. But after a minute, they stopped staring. What gives them the right to judge?

On the dance floor, with my arms around his neck, I felt like more of a girl than I ever had in my life. It felt right.

Once again, I started to fight the urge to cry. But this time, the tears were coming from a place of emotional euphoria.

Let the emotional euphoria roll.

“Thank you, Dad.” I said to him towards the end of the song. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Emelia.” He responded. “Nothing will ever change that.”

Notes

Only one more chapter until the end of this arc! But don't worry, there will be a third arc!