Linda, a table away, piped in. “Seriously, Jan, how much did he bribe you for that?”
Everyone cracked up. I felt my face flush.
Marianne shot Linda a look. “You know Mom chose to wear that dress, right?” she said.
“It’s all in good fun, Marianne. Relax.”
Janet’s smile faded. I watched her straighten her shoulders, then push her chair back.
“Seriously, Jan, how much did he bribe you for that?”
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She stood up, slow and deliberate, scanning the room. The laughter stumbled.
But my wife just stood there, one hand smoothing her dress. She looked at our family, our friends, and then straight at me.
“You’re all laughing at a dress because it’s easier than facing what it really means,” Janet said, her voice clear and calm.
“Tom made this while I was sick. He thought I didn’t know, but I did. Every row was hope.”
A hush fell over the room. Even Linda’s grin faded. Ron looked into his glass.
“Tom made this while I was sick.”
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Janet took a breath, her hand smoothing the dress at her waist.
“Every stitch on this dress came from Tom. The same man some of you have made a joke out of for 30 years.”
Her eyes scanned the room.
“You all call him when your pipes freeze or your car batteries die. He always shows up. And he never asks for anything back. Tom almost missed Sue’s birth because he was fixing your plumbing issues, Linda.”
I shifted in my seat, suddenly aware of Marianne’s hand finding mine under the table. Sue was dabbing her eyes with a napkin. Anthony’s jaw clenched as he stared down at his plate.
Janet went on. “Some of you think it’s funny to laugh at him, and at this dress, because you think kindness is weakness.”
Anthony’s jaw clenched as he stared down at his plate.
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She traced the lace around her waist, then looked up.
“You see yarn. I see our first apartment.”
She gave a soft, nervous laugh, meeting my eyes for a second.
“That lace matches our old curtains. The hem holds wildflowers from my wedding bouquet, the same flowers I carried today. There’s a pattern for each of our kids. If you look, you’ll find their initials.”
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