My Parents Demanded VIP Seats at My Graduation

slightly crooked and my hands damp inside my sleeves.

I found Jennifer first.

Then I found them.

Richard Parker’s face had gone gray in patches. Karen Parker looked like someone had opened a door behind her and shown her a room she had spent years pretending did not exist.

I stepped to the podium.

The Dean shook my hand.

“Congratulations, Dr. Rivera,” he continue reading …