I graduated that spring. My grandmother sat in the front row in her brown shawl, the yarn doll in her lap. My father stood at the very back, hat in his hands, until she turned and waved him forward.
He walked the whole aisle slowly, like a man crossing a river. She made room beside her without a word. When they called my name, I did not lower my head to anyone, and for once, nobody had to tell me who paid for it.
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