Member-only story
It wasn’t lavish, but it was special
“It’s your day! You can have whatever you want!” The new high school graduate’s dad beamed at her. It was about an hour after the graduation ceremony had ended, and they were seated at the ten person table in the middle of Panera.
The teen’s face light up. “Mac and cheese and a chicken avocado sandwich?”
“It’s yours, baby.”
Gifts of various sizes filled the middle of the table and a few extra chairs had been pulled over. Two preschool age boys sat next to each other discussing their own ‘graduation’ with their grandma and asked to wear the older girl’s cap that she proudly had on.
“No,” her mom said. “Mirabel earned that. It stays on her head.”
Everyone was smiling, proud, and happy to be celebrating with the new graduate even though it had been 90+ degrees at the ceremony and positively miserable on the turf field and in the metal bleachers.
As they waited for their order, Mirabel opened her gifts. There was a new Hershel backpack that she teared up over, a gas card, and a bunch of other practical college gifts. Her dad hugged her tight and told her she was going to be an amazing doctor.
