We were supposed to be celebrating their 40th anniversary. Matching red shirts, dinner in the oven, a cake from that overpriced bakery my mom always says is “too much but worth it.” I snapped this photo just before we sat down.
They looked happy enough, right?
But I noticed something no one else did. The way my mom’s fingers kept fidgeting with her necklace. The tightness in her smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. My dad was all jokes and stories, but she barely spoke during dinner.
Later that night, when I went to help her with the dishes, I asked if everything was okay.
