I Never Married After My High School Sweetheart Vanished on Prom Night in 1985—Last Week, a Little Girl Handed Me His Prom Boutonniere

asks me if I ever went to prom.

Not because they’re curious.

Because the high school borrows our elementary gym every April, and the decorations always find their way into the cafeteria before the students do.

Silver streamers.

Boxes of fairy lights.

Balloons that refuse to stay where they’re taped.

I spend my mornings serving macaroni and cheese while teenagers continue reading …