One late night at the office, buried in paperwork, my boss Michael showed up and dumped more tasks on my desk. I was drained and silently counting down the days until I could escape that job. Then I got a call from Aunt Jenny—reminding me I promised to drive her to my mother’s wedding. A wedding I knew nothing about.
I was stunned.
I rushed to my mom’s house, where she quietly admitted she hadn’t told me to avoid adding to my stress. When I asked if I was even invited, she gently said no—it was “better this way.”
Confused and hurt, I decided to go anyway—just to see who she was marrying.
What I didn’t expect was to see Michael, my overbearing boss, standing beside her.
The atmosphere was tense. Michael looked like he wanted to walk out, but my mom asked him to stay. Later, outside, he explained that his tough attitude came from believing in my abilities, not wanting to make my life harder.
I shared my anger, but also admitted I couldn’t dictate who brought my mother happiness.
We both realized she had kept the truth from me to protect me in her own way.
We returned to the ceremony together. It started late, but as I held Aunt Jenny’s hand, something settled in me—I was still part of her life, even in the most unexpected way.
