“You don’t have to do that, honey,” I told her gently.
“Yes, I do,” she replied. “What Peggy and dad did was unforgivable. You’re my mom, and you deserved to be there.”
So that’s exactly what we did.
We went home, ordered a large pepperoni pizza, changed into our pajamas, and opened the graduation video on her laptop. When Zinnia’s name was called and she walked across the stage to receive her diploma, I cheered and cried just as loudly as I would have if I’d been sitting in the audience.
And in the end, Peggy lost—completely.