“If Mom looks angry, give her a little time. She’s actually pretty nice once she knows the whole story.”
I stared at those words for a long moment.
Then I looked at Theo.
“My son gave me far too much credit.”
Theo smiled.
“No, Mrs. Harris. He knew you.”
Perhaps he did.
And perhaps that’s the memory I hold closest now.
Not the dress.
Not the people whispering.
Not even the speech itself.
But the fact that, while facing the most frightening uncertainty of his young life, Jack still believed that people could become more understanding when they learned the truth.
That day, Theo helped all of us become a little kinder than our first reactions.
And every time I think about that bright red dress, I remember the extraordinary friendship behind it—and the son whose humor and love never disappeared, even during his hardest days.
