Empty Seats at Graduation

"I walked onto the stage to accept my degree, but the five seats I had saved for

my family were still empty." The moment the announcer called my name, the world seemed

to blur. All I could hear was the polite clapping echoing across the packed auditorium,

a sound that should have filled me with pride. Instead, it rang hollow in

my chest. I had chosen those five seats carefully weeks before: one for my husband,

two for my children, and two for my parents who had promised—though weakly—that they would try their

best to come. Seeing them empty felt like a cruel punch line to a long,

exhausting joke.