When I asked my mom to be my prom date, I didn’t think of it as a bold gesture—just a quiet way to give something back. She became a mother at seventeen and gave up everything that usually comes with youth: carefree plans, college dreams, and the prom she once imagined. She raised me alone, working exhausting jobs, studying late at night, and carrying sacrifices she rarely spoke about. Sometimes she joked about her “almost-prom,” but I always saw the sadness behind the smile. As my own senior prom approached, it finally clicked. If she had given up her moment so I could have a life, the least I could do was give her one night that belonged to her.
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