I sat down.
My seat.
My son’s seat for me.
The one he had saved from the beginning.
The audience applauded.
Not loudly at first.
Just a few people.
Then more.
Then dozens.
Then nearly the entire room.
I covered my mouth.
Trying not to cry.
Failing completely.
Daniel finally smiled.
The smile I remembered from when he was little.
The smile that appeared after every scraped knee, every difficult exam, every obstacle we survived together.
