See you Saturday.
He almost called.
His thumb hovered over the screen.
Then he remembered Denise’s warning.
Don’t put that on her.
He convinced himself Maya was simply being polite.
Maybe she expected to see him after the ceremony.
Maybe she didn’t know how to tell him.
Maybe the kindest thing he could do was make it easy.
So he replied:
Love you too. Go enjoy your day.
Saturday morning, Samuel woke at five-thirty.
He showered.
Shaved.
Opened his closet.
The dark suit he wore to weddings hung near the back.
He took it out.
Then stopped.
What was he doing?
He had no ticket.
His daughter supposedly didn’t want him inside.
Samuel put the suit back.
At seven, his phone buzzed.
A photograph from Maya.
She was wearing her graduation gown.
I look ridiculous.
Samuel smiled.
He replied:
You look expensive. College finally paid off.
Maya sent laughing emojis.
Samuel stared at the photograph.
Then went to work.
He had accepted a Saturday emergency job at an apartment complex.
If he stayed busy, perhaps he would stop thinking about the ceremony.
He didn’t.
At nine-fifty, Samuel imagined the graduates lining up.
At ten-fifteen, he wondered whether Maya had walked yet.
At ten-thirty, he stopped working long enough to open the university livestream on his phone.
The connection was terrible.
He stood inside an electrical room surrounded by cables and watched a frozen image.
Then the stream moved.
Names were being announced.
Samuel turned the volume up.
“Samuel?” one of his employees called.
“Give me a second.”
Another name.
Another.
Then:
“Maya Elise Carter, Bachelor of Architecture, magna cum laude.”
Samuel stopped breathing.
On the tiny phone screen, his daughter walked across the stage.
He smiled.
Then his eyes filled.
“That’s my girl.”
His employee looked over.
“Your daughter?”
Samuel nodded.
“She did it.”
“Why aren’t you there?”
Samuel looked at the screen.
“Long story.”
The ceremony ended shortly after noon.
Samuel returned to work.
He intended to finish the job and call Maya that evening.
Then at twelve forty-seven, his phone rang.
It was Marcus.
Samuel almost ignored it.
He answered.
“What’s wrong?”
Marcus sounded confused.
“Where are you?”
Samuel frowned.
“At work.”
“Why?”
“What do you mean why?”
“Maya is looking for you.”
Samuel stopped.
“What?”
“She’s asking where you are.”
Samuel’s heart began pounding.
“I thought she knew.”
“Knew what?”
“That I wasn’t invited.”
Silence.
Marcus’s voice changed.
“Who told you that?”
Samuel already knew.
He closed his eyes.
“Denise.”
Marcus said nothing.
Samuel leaned against the wall.
“What did Denise tell you?”
Marcus exhaled slowly.
“That Maya didn’t want you here.”
For several seconds, neither man spoke.
Samuel finally asked, “Is Maya there?”
“Yes.”
“Does she know?”
“No.”